Srinagar: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led government of India over the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, accusing GoI Minister Kiren Rijiju of making a “strategic and symbolic” visit to Kashmir after what she termed the bill’s “bulldozing” through Parliament.
In a sharply worded statement, the former Chief Minister said Rijiju’s visit to the Valley — where he received a red carpet welcome — appeared aimed at sending a broader message to India’s 24 crore Muslims. “It was a move designed and deliberate to signal that their views hold little weight when the leader of the country’s only Muslim-majority region stands in support,” Mehbooba said.
She further said the visit, set against the blooming backdrop of Asia’s largest tulip garden, felt more like a “public celebration of the community’s marginalisation and disempowerment.”
Taking aim at the current JK leadership, Mufti said the Chief Minister’s endorsement of Rijiju’s visit had deepened the sense of alienation among Muslims and lent “legitimacy” to a decision widely viewed as unilateral and dismissive of the community’s concerns.
“As the Assembly session draws to a close, the ruling alliance must focus on passing a resolution to reject the Waqf Bill instead of prolonging this political spectacle,” she added.
The Waqf Amendment Bill has triggered massive protests in the JK Assembly in recent days, with opposition parties demanding a discussion and denouncing the legislation as an attack on religious autonomy and minority rights.
