Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for recently “rolling out the red carpet” for Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, calling it a “deliberate move aimed at sending a message to 24 crore Muslims that their voices hold no value”.
Omar has been facing a backlash after a Union Minister Rijiju- who had introduced the controversial Waqf bill in Parliament- shared pictures on Monday showing him with a smiling chief minister and his father, Farooq Abdullah, at Srinagar’s famed Tulip Garden.
Mehbooba alleged the Rijiju strategically chose to visit Kashmir after the passing of the Waqf bill
“After bulldozing the Waqf Amendment Bill through Parliament, Minister Kiran Rijiju strategically chose to visit Kashmir. He was given red carpet welcome by the Chief Minister of India’s only Muslim majority state – a move that seemed designed & deliberate to signal to the 24 crore Muslims across India that their views hold little weight when the leader of the country’s only Muslim-majority region stands in support. The visit set against the backdrop of Asia’s largest tulip garden felt like a public celebration of the community’s marginalisation & disempowerment,” she said in a post on X.
“The Chief Minister’s actions not only deepened the sense of alienation and helplessness within the Muslim community but also lent legitimacy to this unilateral decision widely perceived as dismissive of their interests,” she added.
The former Chief Minister Mehbooba said that the ruling alliance in Jammu and Kashmir should prioritize passing a resolution in the Assembly against the Act.
Over the past three days the Speaker of J&K Assembly Abdul Rahim Rather has disallowed a debate on the Centre’s Waqf Act, a law perceived by many as an anti-Muslim law.
“With today possibly marking the end of this assembly session the ruling alliance should prioritize passing a resolution to reject this bill rather than prolonging the political spectacle,” Mehbooba said
