3 PDP Leaders Resign After Mehbooba Mufti’s National Flag Remark

Srinagar: Three senior leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) quit the party on Monday following party president Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks on the tricolour as “provocative” which “hurt patriotic sentiments”, reported Hindustan Times.

Former Member of Parliament, TS Bajwa, a former member of legislative council Ved Mahajan and former state secretary, Choudhary Hussain Ali Wafa, in a joint letter, said, “We, your party colleagues in Jammu region, most of whom remained associated with the party through every thick and thin, since its formation, are feeling quite uncomfortable over some of your actions and undesirable utterances, especially which hurt patriotic sentiments.”

While addressing her first press briefing on Friday after over 14 months of detention, Mufti said she was not interested in contesting elections or holding the tricolour till the constitutional changes enforced on August 5 last year were removed.

Attacking the BJP-led central government, the former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister had said, “They [Centre] themselves desecrated the Constitution… What do they expect from us? Our flag is this {pointing towards the erstwhile J&K flag} and our relations with the country’s flag have been established by this flag.”

Once, a close confidante of Mufti, Ved Mahajan said, “We strongly condemn her provocative comments against tricolour. Tricolour is our identity and national pride. We are patriotic people. How can we tolerate such provocative remarks from her. They were highly provocative. We are angry with her statement. PDP was formed by late Mufti Sahib to provide an alternative to the people of Jammu & Kashmir, which we did.”

PDP leaders were not available for comment immediately.