After Rijiju bulldozed the Waqf Bill through Parliament, CM Omar gave him a red carpet welcome in Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti
Srinagar, Apr 09 (KNO): PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday criticised J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for giving Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju a red carpet welcome in Kashmir, shortly after he pushed the Waqf Amendment Bill through Parliament.
Speaking to reporters here, Mehbooba Mufti told the Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Minister Kiren Rijiju deliberately planned his visit to Kashmir after forcefully pushing the Waqf Amendment Bill through Parliament.
“He (Rijiju) was given a red carpet welcome by the Chief Minister of India’s only Muslim-majority state – a move that seemed designed & deliberate to signal to the 24 crore Muslims across India that their views hold little weight when the leader of the country’s only Muslim-majority region stands in support,” she added.
Former J&K Chief Minister, while referring to the “chance meeting” between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Union Minister Rijiju at the Tulip Garden here, said, “The visit set against the backdrop of Asia’s largest tulip garden felt like a public celebration of the community’s marginalisation and disempowerment.”
The PDP president further said, “Omar Abdullah’s actions not only deepened the sense of alienation and helplessness within the Muslim community but also lent legitimacy to this unilateral decision widely perceived as dismissive of their interests,” she said— (KNO)
