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Last Update: May 13, 2023, 21:27 IST
Mehbooba Mufti said that the previous governments in Jammu and Kashmir had made a rehabilitation policy (PTI Photo)
Mehbooba said whether it was Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or other Congress leaders, they created a story around development, employment and welfare schemes and people voted for them.
to describe Karnataka PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said the assembly election results are a “ray of hope” and hoped that the rest of the country would also reject “communal politics” and vote for its development and prosperity.
Mehbooba’s comment came after the clear victory of the Congress in the electoral battle in Karnataka. According to the latest trends on the Election Commission (EC) website, the Congress is leading in 136 of the 224 assembly seats in the southern state.
“The BJP tried its best to give a communal color to the situation, as is their habit. He also brought Bajrangbali, religion and Hindu-Muslim into the discussion. The Prime Minister tried to take the discourse on religious grounds. Despite this, people kept these issues aside and chose the issue of development on which Congress ran its campaign.
Mehbooba said whether it was Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or other Congress leaders, they created a story around development, employment and welfare schemes and people voted for them.
“This is good news as general elections are due next year,” said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman.
He said that while the country’s democratic values and idea of brotherhood were under attack, “a ray of hope is being seen from Karnataka today”.
“I hope people across the country will also reject communal politics and vote for the development and prosperity of the country,” Mehbooba said.
He said that the people of Karnataka have given a good message that they do not want to indulge in Hindu-Muslim debate and vote in the name of gods, but want to vote on unemployment, price rise and other developmental issues.
Later, Mehbooba took to Twitter to express hope that the BJP’s defeat marks the beginning of a new beginning for India.
“Congratulations to @INCIndia for the comprehensive victory in Karnataka. Was it not easy that the BJP launched the most brutal communal campaign. The people of Karnataka have rejected division and bigotry. I hope this is the beginning of a new beginning for India.”
Responding to a question on the recent political developments in Pakistan, the PDP president said the situation in the neighboring country was very bad.
“But it is fortunate for Pakistan that there institutions like judiciary or media are playing their role well and holding the government accountable…Courts are trying to maintain the role of institutions. I think the situation there is a matter of concern for India..but if anything can pull Pakistan out of this quagmire, it is these institutions.
When asked about the preparations for the G20 meeting to be held in the Kashmir Valley later this month, the PDP chief said that people are facing problems in the name of preparations.
He said, ‘Preparations are going on all over the country, which is a good thing. But in J&K, especially in the valley, the crackdown in the name of G20-arrests, raids, searches, searches…the streets of Srinagar were dug up just to show that development is happening-it caused suffering to the people Yes, Mehbooba said.
“The locals here are inconvenienced only to welcome people from outside. I think the aim of the G20 is to sell Kashmir, which they think is a trophy they got after 2019 (when the Center abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution) and want to show that all is well, but (Really) nothing is right here,” she said.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
