Ms Mufti had, in a surprise move, gone to NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah’s Gupkar residence and discussed with him latest political situation, particularly attempts being made to abrogate Article 35-A of the Constitution. She had also met a number of other Opposition leaders, including Communist Party of India (M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Targami, PDF MLA Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen and NDF Ghulam Hassan Mir on the issue.
However, former chief minister Omar Abdullah taking to micro-blogging site Twitter said “That is the crux of her dilemma – run with the hare & hunt with the hounds. She wants to govern with the BJP & oppose their politics with us”. He was reacting to a tweet which said, “On #35A, bizarre of @MehboobaMufti to seek a consensus against BJP WHILE in an alliance with the BJP. She wants to have AND eat the cake”.
However, his tweet evoked mixed response, some asking all political parties to fight against these attempts, cutting across party lines, while others alleged that NC has already eaten full cake and it is only a leftover left for Mr Mufti. The Chief Minister had last month during an event in New Delhi warned that if special rights and privileges to the people of the state are tinkered with, then there would be no one in Jammu and Kashmir to hold the tricolor.
“The special status enjoyed by the state needed to be protected and preserved. The legislature of the state enjoys huge powers unlike any other state assembly. We need to preserve and protect this status,” the Chief Minister said, while addressing a public rally in central Kashmir district of Budgam yesterday