STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Alleging that the BJP won the three Lok Sabha seats recently in Jammu and Kashmir by promoting communal polarisation, the PDP on Monday said it is now planning to trigger “sectarian divide” among Muslims in coming assembly polls in the state.
“The BJP won the three seats in Parliamentary elections by promoting communal polarisation. Now, it is planning to create sectarian division within the Muslim community (in the assembly polls)”, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said.
This impression had been given out by its poll strategist through media reports, she told an election rally in Banihal.
“The state is facing a new political scenario with the BJP emerging in some areas as a major force and aiming to increase its presence in the legislative assembly through a divisive agenda based on communal polarisation and sectarian differences,” Mehbooba said. She said the ensuing assembly polls in the state would be a direct contest between the PDP and the BJP.
“The National Conference and the Congress have collapsed as political organisations and the contest now is directly between the PDP and the BJP,” Mehbooba said. The PDP chief said her party’s focus was on dignified return and rehabilitation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits though the BJP was converting them into a “political commodity”.
“The BJP is now converting Kashmiri Pandits into a political commodity by banking on their votes in a few constituencies which they have targeted for victory,” she said. Attacking the coalition government in the state, the PDP leader said “this government has earned the anger and disapproval of the people due to its misdeeds, corruption, scandals and inefficiency.”
She said Chenab Valley had abundant resources that were benefiting people outside the state but those living there lacked basic amenities.
“The PDP will work on a development agenda that will focus on employment generation and infrastructure development in districts of the region so that its large potential is harnessed for betterment of its people,” Mehbooba said.