Interview/ Mehbooba Mufti, president, PDP
Jammu and Kashmir has not seen an elected government since 2018, after the BJP pulled out of the coalition government with the J&K Peoples Democratic Party. A year later, Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was revoked. Recently though, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that assembly elections would soon be held. For now, there is electoral buzz thanks to the Lok Sabha polls. Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP is contesting from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency. She entered politics under the guidance of her father and PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and became the first female chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir after his passing in 2016. Her Lok Sabha campaign is centred on safeguarding Jammu and Kashmir’s unique identity, resources, jobs and land. Excerpts from an interview:
Q/ The voter turnout is expected to rise this time. Do you think people will support you again?
A/ The parliamentary election is an opportunity for people to express their feelings about how suffocated they have felt since 2019, and to denounce what happened as wrong, unconstitutional and contrary to the promises made. The narrative from the BJP is that all is well because tourists come to Kashmir and take selfies. But in reality, people are suffering in silence and are heartbroken. I am confident they will come out and vote.
Q/ What is your response to BJP’s claims that post Article 370 abrogation, the situation has improved, terrorism is ending and Jammu and Kashmir is progressing?
A/ When you sever somebody’s head, there will be no reaction after that. A similar situation prevails now in Jammu and Kashmir. You cannot imagine how much people are suffering and are in fear. They think if we raise our voices, the police will book them under UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) and PSA (Public Safety Act). Hundreds of our youth have been languishing in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir without any case or proof for several years now. People are not talking about that because they are living in fear.
Q/ Have you attended INDIA bloc meetings, despite the Gandhis not campaigning here?
A/ We have not joined the INDIA alliance expecting anything [in return] from them. Such an alliance is the need of the hour because Gandhi’s India is being converted into Godse’s India. Those who talk of becoming a ‘vishwaguru’ forget that Gandhi was the biggest ‘vishwaguru’ the world has known. The situation in the country today―where Muslims are being lynched, their mosques and homes are being razed, madrassas are being shut, where adivasis are being humiliated, rapists are being set free, unemployment is the highest in 40 years, and inflation is pushing the price of gas to 01,200 per cylinder from Rs400 during the United Progressive Alliance government―[is a] matter of concern for people. Then the Constitution is being disregarded and eroded. Article 370 was abrogated unconstitutionally, and now discriminatory laws like the CAA (Citizenship (Amendment) Act) are being passed. The INDIA alliance, especially Rahul Gandhi, is standing up against all this to protect the soul of India, its spirit of fraternity and the Constitution. That’s why we stand with the alliance, irrespective of whether they support us. My people are with me. That is enough for me.
Q/ What do you think is the future of the INDIA bloc? Some of its members have left the alliance, while Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Hemant Soren are in jail.
A/ Despite no evidence against Kejriwal, he has been imprisoned. We are witnessing mafia rule. The Enforcement Directorate is used to detain individuals at will. Our party faced a similar fate. Over 60 per cent of our members were coerced into leaving. This pattern repeats nationwide. The BJP is not fighting this election alone. It exploits all state machinery―ED, CBI, Income Tax department, and the National Investigation Agency. Even the Election Commission overlooks BJP leaders’ statements while issuing notices to opposition leaders for minor infractions. All national institutions are being misused by the BJP for this election. It indicates that the INDIA alliance is performing well, making the NDA uneasy.
Q/ The prime minister said assembly elections will be held soon and statehood will be restored. Are you prepared?
A/ Any political party is ready for elections anytime. When the time comes, we will face it.
Q/ How do you see the prime minister’s statement that the country has changed and that terrorists are being killed on their own turf?
A/ A lot has changed. Children of BJP leaders and their supporters in ‘godi’ media study in the best universities and work abroad; the children of the poor hold BJP flags, raise provocative slogans and lynch Muslims. This is what has changed in the country. The children of the poor have been criminalised. They commit rapes without fearing the law. A female student was paraded naked in IIT-BHU, Varanasi. The centuries-old brotherhood for which Gandhiji sacrificed his life has been destroyed. Inflation and unemployment are not the issues; it is about who ate fish and meat. This is where they have led the country.
Q/ What do you think about the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) that the BJP is talking about?
A/ Why don’t they talk about unemployment and inflation? Why don’t they talk about what’s happening in Manipur? UCC is a distraction from the pressing issues.
Q/ What is your opinion on the agitation in Ladakh about constitutional safeguards for the region?
A/ This is exactly what I have been saying. The situation in Ladakh exposes the BJP’s claims that everything is fine. The government is imposing Section 144, prohibiting gatherings on the roads…. So, why are the people of Ladakh taking to the streets? Even in Jammu, where there were celebrations after the removal of Article 370, why are people now expressing anger and frustration?
Q/ What is the current status of the Gupkar Alliance?
A/ Ask Farooq Abdullah about that. I did whatever was possible. I even entrusted him with the decision on seat sharing. But he didn’t deem it fit to take me into confidence before announcing his candidates.