G20 meet in Kashmir: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti hit out at the BJP government over the G20 summit which will be held in Jammu and Kashmir from May 22 to 24 and said that the saffron party has hijacked the event of the country. She further said that the ruling BJP trying to portray to the world that everything is fine.
” G20 is an event for the country but BJP has hijacked it, they have even replaced the logo with Lotus, the logo should have been something related to the country, not a party…it is the SAARC that will establish the leadership of our country within this region…why not have a SAARC summit and address our problem,” Mufti said.
Notably, in November last year, the government at the centre unveiled the logo for the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Jammu and Kashmir. The logo also had a lotus flower in it. The ruling BJP and the Congress broke into a war of words over the use of the lotus flower in the logo.
‘Congress’ Karnataka victory ray of hope to entire country’
Mufti also hailed the people of Karnataka for giving a ray of hope to the entire country by defeating a “fascist, communal and divisive” BJP in the recently-concluded Assembly election.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, she said, “When everyone had given up, Karnataka has given a ray of hope to the entire country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and everyone in the BJP were using religion in the Karnataka elections but still, people voted them out.”
She, however, cautioned people against the developments that happened in Delhi, saying that it was a wake-up call for everyone as it can happen anywhere in the country. Mufti was referring to an ordinance passed by the President on Friday, May 20, giving overriding powers to Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor — a union government nominee — to oversee the transfer, posting and disciplinary proceedings against civil servants in Delhi.
“Whatever happened in Delhi is a wake-up call for everyone. Whatever happened in Jammu and Kashmir is going to happen around the whole country.”
‘BJP doesn’t want to have any opposition’
The PDP chief further said, “BJP doesn’t want to have any opposition. The Delhi government has been disempowered. This is going to happen to everyone.”
According to her, Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra had laid the foundation for Congress’ victory in the Karnataka Assembly election. “Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra laid the foundation for Karnataka”s victory. The last five years were hit by hatred and communal politics, in Karnataka too but the state has given a chance again to democracy. Divisive politics was played here also in Karnataka. Now Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar will heal the wounds,” the PDP chief said.
Mufti said Jammu and Kashmir’s special status best example of federalism, but the state was dismembered, disintegrated and disempowered by abrogating Article 370.
(With agencies input)