Srinagar, 31 July (HS): PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had put a precondition before Prime Minister Narendra Modi for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015, seeking an assurance that Article 370 of the Constitution will not be removed by the Centre, party president Mehbooba Mufti claimed on Monday.

Addressing a gathering on the 24th foundation day of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) here, Mufti said her father Sayeed was not power hungry and wanted to deliver Jammu and Kashmir from its problems and troubles.

“When Mufti sahib had 28 seats (in the 2014 Assembly polls), he met Modi and gave his list of conditions for government formation. He took the assurance from the BJP government (at the Centre) that (Article) 370 will not be touched. He tied their hands. He was not after power, otherwise he would not take three months to form the (coalition) government (in Jammu and Kashmir),” she said.

Mufti alleged that the BJP backtracked from its commitments and accused it of trying to pressure on the people of Jammu and Kashmir into subjugation.

“The BJP wants us to throw in the towel. We will not do it… If all of us — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Gujjars, Paharis — stand united, we will make the BJP give up,” she said.

Mufti, the only woman to become the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said her father had the courage to stand for people.

“Despite having only 16 MLAs (in the 2002 Assembly polls, Mufti sahib told the Congress (which had 20 seats) that he would form the government only if talks were held with Pakistan and separatists,” she said.

Mufti said her father did not believe in misleading people and firmly believed that Jammu and Kashmir’s future was with India.

“Despite being the (Pradesh) Congress president, he accepted the decision taken by Indira Gandhi in 1975 to bring back Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah into the mainstream,” she said.

Mufti said during her father’s first term as chief minister, significant progress was made on both the reconciliation and development fronts in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Advani-Hurriyat talks were held, the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was re-opened and development work got a fillip,” she said.

Mufti asked the BJP what did it achieve by doing away with the special constitutional provisions regarding Jammu and Kashmir.

“What have you achieved in Kashmir? Jawaharlal Nehru came to Lal Chowk and unfurled the national flag with thousands of Kashmiris present. Today, you hoist the tricolour and there is no Kashmiri there, only security people,” she said.

Mufti alleged that the BJP is trying to convert the entire country into Manipur and appealed to the opposition parties to stay united in order to counter these attempts.

“Manipur is just a trailer, the film is yet to start. The BJP wants to turn the entire country into Manipur. My appeal to the opposition is to stay united if they want to save India. Do not get into number games,” she said.

More than 160 people have lost their lives in Manipur in ethnic clashes that have been going on for almost three months.

Mufti hit out at the government for making a provision for nominating Kashmiri migrants to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, instead of reserving seats for the community.

“You have kept a provision for nominating Kashmiri Pandits. If you have the courage, you should reserve the seats and we will vote for them just like we have done in the past. Constituencies with a Muslim population have elected Pyare Lal Handoo, M L Fotedar, Manohar Koul, D P Dhar etc.

“I also want to ask, why no reservation for Sikhs? Because you cannot do Hindu-Muslim (politics) if you give reservations to Sikhs,” she said.

The PDP chief said her party is not the problem, but solution to the issue.

“We are not the problem. We are the solution. We want a solution to emerge within the democratic set up,” she said.

Mufti asked the party cadre to prepare for the panchayat and other local bodies’ elections that are due later in the year.

“The BDC and panchayat elections are due. Take these spaces so that you can serve people,” she said.

Hindusthan Samachar//Manoj