'We Will Fight For Solving Kashmir Issue': Mehbooba Mufti Attacks Centre For No Polls In J&K For Decade

Jammu And Kashmir News: As Jammu and Kashmir gears up for Assembly Polls after a decade, former Chief Minister and People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the saffron party should be ashamed that despite beating the drum of normalcy for years, they couldn't hold assembly polls in the district for the last ten years.

“BJP was claiming that situation in Kashmir is on track, but they conducted elections after 10 years people are suffocated and want their own government," she said. 

The PDP chief said her party is not fighting for roads and other amenities only but also to keep the Kashmir issue alive and seek its redressal. “Everyone is fighting elections for sake of election, but we don’t fight elections just for development but are fighting it so that Kashmir issue is solved. We were in the past pressuring this agenda and will remain fighting for that; it’s very necessary,” she said.

Speaking on the job situation in Jammu and Kashmir, she said, “We will fill one lakh job vacancies on fast track, regularize 60 thousand daily wagers, and try multinational companies here so that jobs are created". 

Hitting back at Prime Minister Modi over his accusations that three families have destroyed Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti said, “He is the same PM who promised 15 lakh rupees for every citizen and two crore jobs, which was a total lie. Now what other things he said people can judge it well.”

Assembly polls are set to be held in the 90-member J&K Assembly after a decade on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.

Earlier this week, Mufti said that her party is the only party that can fight the onslaught of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on several issues related to the Union Territory, including identity, resources, and jobs.

She said that when PDP was in power in the J&K, it took the people of the Union Territory, especially south Kashmir, out of the difficult times when the region witnessed the worst impact of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and Special Task Force (STF).

While speaking to reporters in South Kashmir's Anantnag district, the PDP chief said, "For us, the challenge is the work done by the party in our previous tenure, for the development of J-K, especially in south Kashmir. Can we do better than that? That is our challenge." "The PDP represents the sentiments of the people of J-K and talks about them. The PDP is the only party that can fight the BJP's onslaught on our identity, land, and jobs," she stated.