Monitor News Bureau
Srinagar, Feb 10: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti Sunday said at a time Pakistan is making laws to safeguard temples in the country, the Indian Muslims are feeling insecure given the Hindutva politics dominating India’s secular fabric.
Talking to reporters at Harnipora Shehlal in Handwara, Mehbooba said that the atmosphere in India is becoming more of Hindutva politics and all the political parties are trying to fetch votes on this Hindutva politics.
“This kind of politics has a direct bearing in the Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. Everyday there is politics about constructing Ram temple, renaming towns with muslim names and other related incidents that worries the Muslims across especially in Kashmir,” she said.
Mehbooba said that after these anti-Muslim and anti-minority tactics the Muslims especially in Kashmir are accused of radicalization which actually is not a case at all.
“India was created in the name of secularism while Pakistan was created in the name of religion. But today the opposite is happening. Pakistan is framing new laws to protect the holy places of minorities, while in India the Muslims are feeling threatened by the divisive Hindutva politics,” she said.
Hitting out at the ruling BJP government over Ayodhya dispute, former Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti said that in the “top priority” of the Modi government now seems to rename historic cities and building Ram Mandir.
Mufti took to Twitter on Saturday to praise Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s initiative to name the Baloki forest reserve after Guru Nanak, the Sikh community’s holy figure.
“How times change. Centre’s top priority is seemingly renaming historic cities & building Ram Mandir. On the other hand, heartening to see that Pak PM has initiated steps to name Baloki forest reserve after Guru Nanak ji & create a university under his name,” Mufti said.
Ever since the split between Mufti’s PDP and the BJP, the former CM has on multiple occasions voiced against the ruling party. She also called her alliance with the BJP “suicidal”.
Mufti has called out the BJP for focusing time and energy into pushing the Ram Mandir agenda at the forefront of the upcoming elections, while also making changes to the names of cities and roads across the country.
Since it came to power, the BJP government has given consent to the renaming of at least 25 towns and villages across India.
Some of the approved name change proposals are: Rajahmundry as Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh; Outer Wheeler as A P J Abdul Kalam Island, situated in Bhadrak district of Odisha; Arikkod as Areekode in Malappuram district of Kerala; Pindari as Pandu-Pindara in Jind district of Haryana; and Samphur as Sanphure in Kiphire district of Nagaland.
Recently, Allahabad was renamed to Prayagraj and Faizabad district was renamed to Ayodhya district.
On the Ram Mandir issue, the BJP leadership has made its stand clear that the party is committed to building the temple at the disputed site.
Mehbooba Mufti’s comparison of the BJP’s “priority” in India to the Pak PM’s initiatives is a direct dig on the former’s camp.
India and Pakistan have initiated work on the Kartarpur Corridor project which links Baba Nanak village in Punjab to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal in Pakistan. The corridor was a long-pending demand of the Sikh community. Pakistan has committed to open the corridor in November on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Kashmiri politicians sing song of Pakistan when out of power: Jitendra
Agencies
Srinagar, Feb 10: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday hit out at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti by saying that the mainstream politicians of Kashmir ‘sing the song of Pakistan’ when they are out of power, but swear by India when in power.
Taking to Twitter, Singh, who is the Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), attacked former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for praising Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan while criticising the governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India.
“Indeed, how times change! Kashmir mainstream politicians sing the song of Pakistan when they are out of power, but swear by India when in power. Remember, #Farooqabdullah, as CM, frequently advocated the bombing of terror camps in Pak occupied Kashmir,” Singh tweeted.
