Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said it seemed there was a race among the Chief Ministers in the country on who could harass the Muslims more.
“A competition is on which model – whether the Gujarat-like model, UP model, Assam model, MP model – needs to be implemented in the country. Chief Ministers are competing with each other on who can harass Muslims more. The Assam CM has gone a step further [in the politics of polarisation],” Ms. Mufti said at a press conference in Srinagar.
The former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister said the Muslims were being provoked to react. “The issues of temples and mosques are being raised so that these people get a chance to execute another episode like that in Gujarat or UP, and start a bloodshed. The British pitted Hindus against Muslims, unfortunately the BJP is doing the same now,” Ms. Mufti said.
She questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “ The PM is watching silently. His party thinks it means what they’re doing is right,” she added.
Ms. Mufti said a person was beaten to death in Madhya Pradesh “for being a Muslim”. “The Constitution, which laid the foundation of the country, is being trashed and dishonoured. They are out to shake the foundation of this country,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Mufti accused the Lieutenant-Governor’s administration of disengaging local employees from the government services. “The real designs behind the revocation of (provisions) of Article 370 are now coming to the fore. They are disengaging employees to ensure outsiders apply for these jobs. Many of these employees have been working with the government departments for decades now. They were due to get regularised in July this year,” Ms. Mufti alleged.
The J&K administration clarified it had no plans to disengage employees working under the Rehbar-e-Khel, Rehbar-e-Janglat and the National Youth Corps schemes.
