Atiya Mujeeb
SRINAGAR, May 11: Iltija Mufti on Monday, during a press conference, intensified her criticism of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his remarks on banning alcohol in the Union Territory, accusing him of repeatedly changing his position on major public issues since assuming office in 2024.
Addressing the media, Iltija Mufti described the Chief Minister’s stand on alcohol as “illogical” and questioned his argument that alcohol could not be banned because certain religions do not prohibit its consumption.
She referred to states like Gujarat and Bihar, where prohibition laws are in force despite large Hindu populations, and asked why a similar ban could not be introduced in Jammu and Kashmir.
The PDP leader alleged that Omar Abdullah had taken “U-turns” on several important matters, including employment, reservation, Urdu language and the promise of providing 200 units of free electricity.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s statement that the government was not forcing anyone to consume alcohol, she said such reasoning could also be used by drug peddlers claiming they were not compelling youth to take drugs.
Iltija Mufti further stated that no religion supports intoxication or substance abuse and accused the Chief Minister of unnecessarily bringing religion into the debate.
She also raised concerns over what she described as the weakening of the Urdu language in the Union Territory and questioned why the government was not taking a firm stand on key public issues despite having the support of nearly 50 legislators in the Assembly.
Her remarks came after Omar Abdullah, while speaking to reporters in Ganderbal on Sunday, defended the government’s position by saying that no one was being forced to consume alcohol and that people made such choices voluntarily.
