"Salute Rahul Gandhi For 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'": Mehbooba Mufti

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said she salutes Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for undertaking the Bharat Jodo Yatra to strengthen secularism and promote unity in the country.

She claimed that the foundation of secularism has taken a hit in the last seven-eight years.

The former Jammu and Kashmit chief minister also appreciated the gesture of Mr Gandhi to pay tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"We salute Rahu Gandhi for undertaking Bharat Jodo Yatra to unite India and strengthen and nurture secularism and brotherhood in this country," Ms Mehbooba told reporters at the party headquarters here.

She lambasted the BJP-led central government for "weakening" and 'tearing apart" the secular foundation of the country.

"The foundation of secularism and brotherhood in India has been shaken and worsened in the last seven-eight years," she said.

About Gandhi paying tributes to Vajpayee, the PDP chief said, "It is a good gesture to even pay respects to your opponents. This is the beauty of this country to even pay tributes to opponents, whether dead or alive. However, this is missing now." Ms Mehbooba also paid tributes to Vajpayee on his birth anniversary and said he always looked above politics.

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