National Desk
9 September
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti, during an election rally in Kokarnag, Anantnag, criticized the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance, recalling the tensions between the two parties in the 1980s. Mufti stated that her father, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, had turned the Congress into a viable alternative in Jammu and Kashmir, which led to a severe social boycott by the NC. She recounted how Congress workers faced hardships, including divorces of their daughters and refusal of services by barbers. Mufti accused NC leader Farooq Abdullah of forming an alliance with the Congress to maintain power after realizing the growing influence of the Congress in the Valley.
Mufti argued that the current alliance between the Congress and NC for the 2024 assembly elections is not based on principles but is merely a power-sharing arrangement. She criticized the NC for leaving a seat for the Congress but secretly supporting its own candidate as an independent, reflecting the lack of genuine unity between the two parties.