J&K Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday hit back at Union Minister Giriraj Singh over his controversial remarks linking a particular community to the recovery of arms and explosives in Faridabad in a joint operation by J&K and Haryana police.
Mehbooba, who was addressing media persons here, sharply reacted to the Minister’s communal insinuation and reminded him that the assassins of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were not Muslims.
“Who killed Gandhi ji? Who killed Indira ji? Who killed Rajiv Gandhi ji? We will talk after Giriraj ji responds to this,” she said.
Giriraj Singh courted controversy by asking “why the accused always belongs to one community,” while commenting on the Faridabad explosives case.
He claimed the recovery could have been “more dangerous than the Bombay blasts,” warning that the outcome would have been catastrophic if such explosives were used during major gatherings, including the ongoing Baba Bageshwar Yatra.
The Minister also took a swipe at opposition leaders, questioning their silence. “There have been no statements from Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, or Owaisi,” he said.
Hitting out at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah a day ahead of the by-polling for the Budgam and Nagrota assembly seats, she said he should go to the people and explain how many promises he made and how many issues he resolved over the year.
“Instead of focusing on governance, Omar repeatedly mentions PDP, like in the past Lok Sabha and assembly elections,” she said.
Mehbooba also addressed the smart meter issue, noting that Omar had earlier opposed them but now supports their installation.
She added that promises regarding free gas cylinders had not been implemented and that gas costs and unemployment had increased.
On the issue of prisoners of Kashmir lodged in jails in other states, Mehbooba said the PDP tried to assist their families. “We approached authorities when all doors were closed. There is a family with a blind father and a prisoner who is also blind, along with young sisters. The prisoner has been in jail for 7 to 8 years without being proven guilty of a crime. We had to go to court to pursue justice,” she said.
The PDP chief also questioned policies on electricity and land. She said residents who promised free electricity were now being considered “electricity thieves” for not installing meters.
Similarly, those living on government land for decades were being labelled “land grabbers”. She said PDP had introduced bills to protect the rights of daily wagers and landowners, but these were not supported by the ruling National Conference.