Lok Sabha Elections 2024: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday (April 21) said that Congress should think about their support to the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir after the leader of the latter Chaudhary Mohammad Akram equated the grand old party with the BJP. "Chaudhary Akram could not have said anything worse than equating the Congress with the BJP while joining the National Conference. He said that there was no difference between the Congress and the BJP," Mufti said.
She said that it was unfortunate that Akram chose to describe the Congress in that manner.
What did Mehbooba Mufti say?
"His father (Chaudhary Mohammad Aslam) was in Congress. I don't understand how the Congress workers would support the NC. The NC leadership used to refer to Congress workers as 'gandi naali kay keeday' (the worms of the gutter). They used to face social boycott," she said, referring to a period in the 80s when the two parties were at loggerheads.
"This is for the Congress workers to think about. They have to support the NC (in this election) but they (Akram) are calling them the B team of the BJP," she added.
Akram joined the National Conference earlier this month. He was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on a Congress ticket in the 2014 polls.
Wanted to build consensus over candidates with NC: Mufti
The PDP chief reiterated her claim that her party wanted to build consensus over candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, but the NC leadership chose to go solo.
"We wanted to go together with other parties in this election as we are facing tough times. Unfortunately, the NC did not want it. The NC workers wanted to work together but their leadership did not want it. We gave all powers to Farooq Abdullah, but he did not find it appropriate to even ask me. They went to the extent of claiming that PDP is finished. How will PDP get finished? PDP finished POTA, Task Force and (counter-insurgent group) Ikhwan," she said.
The people of Kashmir will give a befitting reply to the critics of the PDP, Mufti said.
The Lok Sabha Elections started on April 19 and will continue till June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.
(With PTI inputs)
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