SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday accused Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) of being a proxy for the BJP, following an alleged attack on a PDP candidate by AIP workers. In response, AIP fired back, accusing the PDP of being the architect behind BJP’s Hindutva agenda in Jammu and Kashmir, contributing to the abrogation of Article 370.
Speaking at a press conference in Anantnag, Mehbooba Mufti as per news agency Kashmir Dot Com alleged that the AIP is being propped up by the BJP to weaken mainstream parties in Jammu and Kashmir.
She expressed outrage over the attack, saying, “Our candidate Yawar Banday was brutally assaulted, his ribs are broken, and he is fighting for his life. How can a party whose leader is behind bars be fielding candidates everywhere? Where are their resources coming from?”
Mehbooba further warned the people of Jammu and Kashmir not to be swayed by such parties, accusing the government of using AIP as a tool to divide the vote in the region. She claimed the AIP, like other “proxy parties,” is funded and supported by forces aiming to undermine established political groups like PDP, NC, and Congress.
“If the government wants to create these proxy parties to contest elections, they should at least make it clear to us. AIP and others like them are being funded and encouraged to engage in hooliganism. Why hasn’t there been any action against them after this attack on our workers?” Mehbooba questioned, adding that the PDP is being unfairly targeted while AIP workers continue to operate with impunity.
In a swift and sharp rebuttal, AIP as per Kashmir Dot Com issued a statement accusing the PDP of hypocrisy and being complicit in advancing the BJP’s Hindutva agenda.
AIP spokesperson and Kupwara Assembly candidate Firdous Baba alleged that it was the PDP’s alliance with the BJP in 2014 that laid the groundwork for the abrogation of Article 370, a move that stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special constitutional status.
“The PDP is the real architect of Hindutva in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2014, against the will of the people, they joined hands with the BJP, which led to the abrogation of Article 370. Now, they are frustrated because AIP, a party representing the true suffering masses, is gaining ground,” Baba said in a scathing response.
He further accused Mehbooba Mufti of opportunism, recalling how she once praised BJP leaders as “mentors and brothers” during the PDP-BJP coalition but is now accusing AIP of being a BJP proxy. “The same PDP leadership that helped the saffron agenda bloom is now throwing baseless accusations at us. Engineer Rashid’s sacrifices inside and outside jail are a testament to AIP’s integrity and commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Baba added.
The AIP also hit back at the PDP for adhering to dynastic politics and relying on boycotts to maintain political dominance, while AIP, they claimed, represents the aspirations of the common people. “The rise of AIP in the political arena has unnerved PDP and other dynastic parties. They can see that the people are turning to honest and pro-people politics, something they have failed to offer,” said Baba.
With elections on the horizon, the battle for influence is intensifying, with accusations flying from all sides. Mehbooba Mufti also took a swipe at the National Conference-Congress alliance, calling it an opportunistic and unprincipled partnership that had a history of betraying the people, referring to the rigging of the 1987 elections. (KDC)
