3 PDP leaders quit after Mehbooba Mufti’s flag remark

Three senior Peoples Democratic Party leaders resigned from the party on Monday terming party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks on the tricolour as “provocative” which “hurt patriotic sentiments”.

In a joint letter addressed and signed by the three leaders — former MP, TS Bajwa, former member of legislative council Ved Mahajan and former state secretary, Choudhary Hussain Ali Wafa– said, “We, your party colleagues in Jammu region, most of whom remained associated with the party through every thick and thin, since its formation, are feeling quite uncomfortable over some of your actions and undesirable utterances, especially which hurt patriotic sentiments.”

On Friday, addressing her first press conference after over 14 months of detention, Mufti said she was not interested in contesting elections or holding the tricolour till the constitutional changes enforced on August 5 last year were rolled back.

Attacking the BJP-led central government, Mufti had said, “They [Centre] themselves desecrated the Constitution…What do they expect from us? Our flag is this {pointing towards the erstwhile J&K flag} and our relations with the country’s flag have been established by this flag.”

Once close confidante of Mufti, Ved Mahajan said, “We strongly condemn her provocative comments against tricolour. Tricolour is our identity and national pride. We are patriotic people. How can we tolerate such provocative remarks from her. They were highly provocative. We are angry with her statement. PDP was formed by late Mufti Sahib to provide an alternative to the people of Jammu & Kashmir, which we did,” he said.

PDP leaders were not immediately available for comment.

Separately, in Srinagar, three men, claiming to be BJP workers, were detained on Monday after they tried to organise a rally to hoist national flag, police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Haseeb Mughal said that they did not have the permission to hold the rally.

Later, BJP workers held the rally moving with tricolour from Tagore Hall to Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre, to commemorate accession day.

BJP leader Aijaz Hussain said that they wanted to send a message to PDP that there are thousands who are ready to die for the national flag.

Reacting to BJP’s tricolour rally, PDP leader, Firdous Tak said in a tweet, “We don’t need a certificate of nationalism from the Godse brigade who have always discredited and dishonoured the flag and constitution of this country….”

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