Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today strongly rejected the allegations of discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh regions during her rule, asserting that she never considered Jammu and Kashmir "different entities" and evenly distributed the funds among them.
The PDP president said her two-year tenure in power was the most difficult period of her life, which she braved to fulfill the visions of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and pull Jammu and Kashmir out of a state of anarchy.
We did not make the alliance with the BJP for the chair. Mufti had a vision and wanted cooperation from the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi similar to what he had experienced when A B Vajpayee was in power, but unfortunately, it did not happen, Mehbooba said, addressing her party workers' rally, the first one after the fall of her government last month.
The BJP had pulled out from the PDP-led government on June 19, claiming that they took the decision due to the discrimination against the Jammu and Ladakh regions.
The rally, which was organised by the PDP to mark the 19th foundation day of the party, witnessed tense moments when Mehbooba, apparently feeling uncomfortable, stopped her 20-minute speech midway and sat back on her chair.
She, however, resumed her address shortly from the chair itself, explaining that she "felt uncomfortable" due to the hot and humid weather conditions.
Sayeed was in power for 10 months and I remained in power for two years and two months. We faced a lot of difficulty
The former chief minister said "she faced a lot of pulls and pressures" over the past three years but "remained steadfast and put up with the alliance for a bigger goal of pulling the state out of the cycle of death and destruction."
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