Won't Fight Elections Till Article 370 Is Restored In J-K, Says Mehbooba Mufti
She went on to say that instead of G20, holding the SAARC summit would be more appropriate to establish India's leadership in the region.
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said that she won't contest Assembly elections until Article 370 is restored in J&K. She stated, "I don't see Assembly elections being held in the near future."
While interacting with the media, Mufti further stated that the G-20 is an event for the country but the BJP has "hijacked it." She also accused BJP of replacing the G20 logo with that of a lotus, stating that "the logo should have been something related to the country, not a party."
She went on to say that instead of G20, holding the SAARC summit would be more appropriate to establish India's leadership in the region.
Amid strain in ties India-Pakistan ties, the biennial SAARC summits have not taken place since the 2014 meeting in Kathmandu.
"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...," she told media on the preparations for the G-20 grouping meeting on tourism in Srinagar from May 22 to 24.
#WATCH | Bengaluru: ..." 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… pic.twitter.com/UPzCXqe94B
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2023
The G-20 event will be the first international meeting being held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh -- in August 2019.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, she 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.
She said, "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." The PDP chief added, "BJP doesn't want to have any opposition. The Delhi government has been disempowered. This is going to happen to everyone."
Mufti further stated, "For the survival of the idea of India, Congress has the biggest responsibility as compared to the other parties."
"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 said in a press conference here.
According to her, Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra had laid the foundation for Congress' victory in the Karnataka Assembly election.
"Last five years were hit by hatred and communal politics. Divisive politics was played here also in Karnataka. Now Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar will heal the wounds," the PDP chief said.
Kashmir will be hosting the third G-20 tourism working group meeting from May 22 and 24. The first working group meeting on tourism was held at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in February and the second one at Siliguri in West Bengal in April.
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