Once known for being a foot-soldier who created the PDP from the grassroots, Mehbooba Mufti today has lost her support base.
New Delhi: After the BJP’s sudden but expected break-up with partner PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti seems to have withdrawn into a shell. The “betrayal” of the BJP has come as a “jolt” to Mehbooba who wanted to achieve the vision of her late father and chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
“She feels betrayed by the BJP. The way the decision was conveyed to Mehboobaji was on a very short notice. It has of course come as a jolt to her. Right now, she is not talking to anybody,” a source close to Mehbooba Mufti told ThePrint.
Ram Madhav, BJP general secretary, announced the party’s decision to pull out of the alliance Tuesday, an ambitious play eyeing the general elections next year.
Loss in pursuit of power
At the time of campaigning for the 2014 assembly elections, Mehbooba Mufti stood firm in her anti-BJP stand. She maintained distance, at least in front of the media, while the PDP and BJP engaged in government formation. However, the tables turned for her when her father passed away in 2015, leaving her the chief ministerial chair.
“She wanted to carry on her father’s vision who took the decision of aligning with the BJP. Even though there were indications that the government might fall out, she was dedicated in fulfilling that dream,” the source added.
Once known for being a foot-soldier who created the PDP from the grassroots in the region of south Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti has lost her support base today. South Kashmir is the centre from where the crisis in the valley began.
The new phase of local militancy has its roots in the same region where the security forces launched ‘Operation All Out’ last year, killing over 100 militants since the encounter death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in 2016.
Mehbooba Mufti knows more than anyone else about what she has lost in the pursuit of power. At one point, she used to be the first to visit any slain militant’s house to support the family and protest civilian killings.
Today, she stands on the other side. Not only does she carry the political burden of the killings of militants and civilians and pellet-blinded teenagers but her tenure with the BJP will always be remembered as a betrayal.
“Of course, she is aware about the ground situation. She has to rebuild things as a politician. She will come back to work on it. She wants to spend time with her family right now,” said the source.
Contradictions in alliance
On Tuesday, Mehbooba Mufti called for a press conference to present her views on the BJP’s decision. Indicating that the alliance ended due to the BJP’s persistence with a muscular policy in the Valley, Mehbooba Mufti said she did everything to take reconciliatory measures in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The PDP will sit down and we will take a call on things. We will talk and discuss. Our belief in 2014 elections when a fractured mandate had come was to implement Agenda of Alliance by getting the north and south pole together,” Mehboob Beig, PDP spokesperson, told ThePrint.
“We were trying to pursue the BJP on initiating a dialogue and then ceasefire. It is a national party which thinks about the larger interests but we are a regional party. Our priorities are different. We think about the interest of our people,” he added.