Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that she regretted reposing faith in Prime Minister Modi, even as she asserted that she wouldn’t hold any other flag until “our state flag was not returned”.
Addressing her maiden press conference at her Fairview residence, Mehbooba said that the ruling party at the Centre was trying to replace the constitution of the country with its party manifesto.
“Our fight is not confined for the restoration of Article 370, but for the resolution of Kashmir issue as well. Kashmir issue is an issue and nobody can turn their eye blind towards it,” she said, as per news agency KNO.
Mehbooba added that “those who think we will forget Article 370 are living in fool’s paradise. People have given a lot of sacrifices and we won’t allow the sacrifices to go waste.”
She added that she will be the first person among the political leaders to give her blood for this cause in case the need arises. “We (leaders) are united and people should also fight it in unison. It is not the fight of Dr Farooq, Sajad Lone or any other leader. But of one and all,” she said.
“Since Article 370 was abrogated, the government left no stone unturned to hurt the sentiments of people by taking all the anti-people decisions. They don’t want people of Jammu and Kashmir. People of JK are expendable for them,” she added.
Mehbooba said that they are not going to raise any other flag till the flag of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state is returned.
Asked whether she has any regret of forging an alliance with the BJP, Mehbooba said she regrets posing faith on the Prime Minister who belonged to a party of which A B Vajpayee was also a part.
About elections, she said that “Mehbooba has nothing to do with the elections.” However, she said that party leaders will sit together and the signatories of Peoples Alliance will also sit and take any decision accordingly.
Asked about Geelani’s refusal to talk with the delegation from the centre, Mehbooba said the refusal to meet the delegation led to the huge losses, adding that “It was not a delegation of BJP leaders. If Geelani was not willing to talk, he should have at least allowed them to enter the house. But restricting their entry in the home has portrayed a different picture of Kashmir,” she said.