"Hindus Became Poor Under BJP Rule": Mehbooba Mufti

People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP and alleged that the party does not want to build a nation but only intends to make India a "BJP Rashtra", adding that 26 crore people who were lifted above the poverty line during the UPA regime have been pushed back in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category.

The PDP chief alleged that the BJP considers Jammu and Kashmir its "laboratory" where it conducts "experiments". She alleged that the Hindus have become poor under the BJP regime.

"The BJP sold the entire country including Railways, airports, and banks. This is not nationalism. They only talk about Hindu-Muslim. During the UPA regime, 26 crore people were lifted above the Poverty Line, the BJP again pushed them back to BPL, are they all Muslims? Are only Muslims the victims of the drug menace in J-K?" she said.

"Jammu and Kashmir is a laboratory. Experiments are conducted here. The practical begins here and then they execute it in the entire country. I want to tell the people of Jammu, if they try to show you that they are after the Muslims, you should come out of these dreams. They tell you that they want to build a nation. They do not want to build any nation, they want to make a BJP Rashtra," Ms Mufti added.

Referring to the demolition drive in Kashmir, the PDP chief said that the houses of not only Muslims but also Hindus are being brought down.

"Are only the Muslims affected by the demolition drive of the houses? They have made 80 crore people so poor that they have to give them 5 kg of rice for free. Are these for Muslims? These are the Hindus who have become poor. The marginalised have become more poor that they are incapable of purchasing their ration," Ms Mufti said.

"Those who will be against them, their condition would be made worse than the Muslims. I want to give a message to the Jammu people to wake up and be cautious," she added.

Lashing out at the BJP further, she alleged that the BJP "changed" the demography of Jammu. Mufti asked why the top posts in the region are not filled with Dogras.

"Jammu's demography has changed. Where are the Dogras? Why isn't our Governor (LG) from the Dogra community? Why aren't those at important posts like DG and SP from Jammu?" she asked.

The former Chief Minister also remarked on the appointment of retired Supreme Court judge Justice Abdul Nazeer as the Andhra Pradesh Governor and asked "where is the Judiciary?"

"What is the condition of the Supreme Court? As soon as the judges retire who gave verdicts on Ayodhya, triple talaq or demonetisation, are made the Governor, Rajya Sabha member or given some other posts. Where is the judiciary?" she asked.

Justice Nazeer (retd.) who retired as a judge of the Supreme Court on January 4, 2023, was a part of many landmark judgments including the Triple Talaq case, the Ayodhya-Babri Masjid dispute case, the demonetisation case and a judgment which held that the 'right to privacy' is a fundamental right.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)