SRINAGAR: Former J&K CM and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti accused ex-President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday of leaving behind a legacy of “trampling” the Constitution multiple times to see through the “BJP’s agenda”.
“The outgoing President leaves behind a legacy where the Indian Constitution was trampled upon umpteenth times. Be it scrapping of Article 370, CAA or the unabashed targeting of minorities & Dalits, he fulfilled BJPs political agenda at the cost of the Indian Constitution,” Mufti tweeted soon after Droupadi Murmu took oath as the 15th President at Central Hall of Parliament.
Mufti questioned the neutrality attested to the President’s post under Kovind, whose term ended Sunday. She targeted him for giving the presidential sanction to the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A that took away J&K’s special status in August 2019. And also criticised him for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA that she said was a political tool to browbeat minorities and Dalits.
Mufti’s criticism came on a day BJP flagged off its Tiranga rally to Kargil from Lal Chowk in Srinagar. BJP general secretary Tarun Chug launched the rally and held the “twin families” of Muftis and Abdullahs responsible for 70 years of ills in J&K.
“The two families have made J&K the terrorism capital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it a tourism and progress capital,” he said. “Mehbooba Mufti had claimed that after abrogation of Article 370, no one will raise the Tricolour in J&K. Let her visit Lal Chowk and see how everyone is carrying the flag in their hands,” he said.
About 300 bikers are participating in the rally that will culminate at Kargil War Memorial on July 26 on the occasion of Vijay Diwas. To ensure the rally-goers’ safety, authorities sealed all roads leading to Lal Chowk and shops were closed along the way.