Srinagar: Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday that she is a “dimaagi Naxal” as she supports Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
“I support Article 370. I’m a dimaagi Naxal,” Mehbooba posted on her X handle.
The PDP president was reacting to a post by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call opposition leaders “dimaagi Naxal”.
“PM @narendramodi ji didn’t say opposition leaders as dimagi Naxals,” Rijiju said in the post on X.
He went to categorise the people who can be called dimaagi Naxals. “Only the following are dimagi Naxals: 1. Who support Maoists and reject the Indian Constitution. 2. Who stand with separatists & support Article 370. 4. Who want to cut the chicken neck to separate North-East from India,” he said.
Mufti’s remark came a day after the prime minister’s “dimagi Naxal” remark in his Independence Day speech.
He warned the country about the “dimagi Naxals” who have allegedly entrenched themselves in the system and continue to pose a threat to society by manipulating policies.
PM Modi urged the citizens to “identify and isolate” them. The prime minister said the country had succeeded in removing armed Naxalism from the forests but warned that its ideological supporters were seeking opportunities to promote violence and anarchy.
The prime minister’s remark has sparked a war of words between the Opposition and the BJP.
Earlier, she visited several flood-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district to assess the ground situation, urging the government to provide relief to the affected families.
Mehbooba expressed concern over the extensive damage to residential houses, agricultural land, business establishments and water supply infrastructure, besides the loss of lives in the natural calamity.
At least 11 people were killed and several others went missing when torrential rains on July 19 triggered landslides and flash floods in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri.
Interacting with affected families, she was informed that many victims were yet to receive adequate government assistance and were facing difficulties in rebuilding their homes and restoring their livelihoods.
“The government should have done something by now. It has been almost one-and-a-half months since this disaster,” Mehbooba told reporters.
She said defunct drinking water supply pipelines should be restored immediately and sought suitable accommodation for those who have lost their homes in the calamity.
“Those whose houses have become completely uninhabitable should at least be provided two-room accommodation, land or flats,” she said.
Mehbooba also made a special appeal to the Omar Abdullah government to provide a job to a member of the family of Abdul Ghani, a resident of Alal Mangota, whose body has reportedly not yet been recovered following the flash floods.
Referring to another affected family, she said, “We had just gone there, where the daily wage worker, Kali Sahib, had passed away. His family has still not received any information about him.”
Talking to reporters, she also urged authorities to protect agricultural land in vulnerable areas, saying several families were still facing danger as rains continued.
“The chief minister came, other officials came, and I have also come here. But if there is still no solution to the people’s problems after today, then what will they do? People will simply lose all hope in the government,” she said.
The PDP president demanded adequate compensation for all severely affected families, particularly those who had lost houses, agricultural land, businesses and other sources of livelihood.
During the visit, Mehbooba was accompanied by several senior PDP leaders and functionaries, who also interacted with affected families and assured them that their grievances would be taken up with the concerned authorities.
