Former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday warned the BJP-led Centre against “engineering a split” in her party, which she claimed would give birth to new terrorists in the state.

Mehbooba resigned as chief minister on June 19 after BJP pulled out of the coalition with PDP.

Talking to reporters on the occasion of Martyrs Day, Mehbooba said if BJP interfered and engineered a split in PDP, it would have “disastrous consequences”.

The former CM said it would create new terrorists the way Syed Salahuddins (chief of Hizbul Mujahideen) and Yasin Maliks (chief of JKLF) were born in 1987 when Muslim United Front (MUF) was repressed by rigging assembly elections.

“Agar Dilli ne 1987 ki tarah yahan ki awam ke vote pe daaka dala, agar iss kism ki todfod ki koshish ki, jis tarah ek Salahuddin ekYasin Malik ne janm liya... agar Dilliwalon nePDP ko todne ki koshish ki uski nataish bahut zyada khatarnaak hogi (If, like in 1987, Delhi tries to plunder the people’s mandate and makes attempt to break the party, it can have serious repercussions and spawn forces like Salahuddin and Yasin Malik, calling for the boycott of elections),” the PDP chief said.

BJP general secretary, Ram Madhav, rejected reports his party was working to form a government in the state with the help of MLAs from other parties. He reiterated that his party backed Governor’s Rule for the return of normalcy in J&K.

However, Twitter exchanges between Madhav and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah suggested otherwise. Omar said in a reacted to Mehbooba’s remarks in a tweet, saying, “Not one new militant will be created with the breakup of the PDP. People will not mourn the demise of a party created in Delhi only to divide the votes of Kashmiris.” Madhav engaged him in a friendly manner while criticising Mehbooba.

Five PDP rebelsaccused Mehbooba of “endangering their lives” with her remarks that BJP was trying to engineer defection in the party. Among others, former IT minister and Shia leader Imran Raza Ansari, MLAs — Abdul Majeed Padroo and Javid Baig — and MLCs Yawar Reshi and Saifuddin Bhat termed Mehbooba’s threats as “absurd” and demanded an apology for her statements.

In a tweet, former IT minister Imran Raza Ansari wrote: “Are you telling me Mehbooba Mufti that people will take to guns because you and your cronies have been driven out of power. It is an end to cronyism. People are celebrating wake up.”

Courtesy: Times Group: Times News Network: 14072918