‘Just Jumlas’, No ‘Facts’: Mehbooba Mufti on Amit Shah’s ‘Naya Kashmir’ Remark

SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has made a stinging attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying his statements are mere ‘jumlas’ and there are no facts or truth in them. Attacking Shah, the PDP leader said, ”He has himself admitted that he keeps making such statements.  He has accepted that he has used such jumlas during the elections. It is for the first time in history that a state was converted into a Union Territory. And now to divert the issue of Adani, they are using such tactics again. They always use Jammu and Kashmir to divert the attention of the country. I have to say that the land of Jammu and Kashmir belongs to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. I want the people to take control of the land. ”

On being asked about Shah’s “Naya Kashmir” statement, Mehbooba said, “J&K State has been downgraded to Union Territory, the economy is at stake, but to divert the attention from main issues, She added employed people are being unemployed by throwing them out of departments, people including journalists are being jailed and houses are being demolished, is this Naya Kashmir.”

On Indi’s G-20 presidency, she said that the summit at a time of raiding BBC offices and demolishing houses will have serious consequences for country’s reputation.

Addressing a news conference, Mehbooba appealed to the people to take control of their land as it belongs to them and in absence of the government, people including Mohalla Committees, Panchayats and others should take control of their land in their respective areas. “People were earlier being called anti-national and now they are being called encroachers,” she said.

Mehbooba said people are being suppressed in one way or the other, however, sentiments of people about Kashmir resolution cannot be jailed like the way people, especially youth have been jailed and shifted to outside Jammu and Kashmir.

On the PDP-BJP coalition in past, Mehbooba said her father had taken a wise decision. “During the coalition government, we didn’t allow their agenda to prevail. We didn’t allow them to carry out any anti-people activity. People can criticize me for my steps, but till the government was there, we didn’t allow their agenda to prevail,” she said.