Mehbooba Slams BJP, Says Maharashtra Development Will Only Unify Opposition

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday slammed the BJP, accusing it of "breaking" the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra as it feared Opposition unity. Her statement came a day after NCP leader Ajit Pawar along with eight other party members joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.

"The sabotage/breaking (jod-tod) of parties is taking place due to the fear of opposition unity. Whatever is happening (in Maharashtra) is a testament to this fact," she told reporters in Jammu. The BJP's actions are damaging India's reputation as a vibrant democracy and a soft power, she said. "India is famous across the world as a vibrant democracy and a soft power. You are damaging and destroying it. It will not break the unity of opposition but further strengthen it." 

She accused the ruling party of misusing agencies like CBI and ED to threaten and dismantle the opposition.The fight is not between the opposition and the BJP, but between the Opposition and the BJP plus agencies like NIA, ED, and CBI, she alleged.

The Opposition will win this fight, she said. "If you look at the vote percentage of Opposition, it is between 63 to 64, whereas the NDA has only 36 or 37," she said, accusing the ruling party of using money power and threatening to manipulate and break other parties. One of the BJP leaders had termed the NCP the most corrupt party, but now they have welcomed NCP leaders into their own government, she claimed.

"You are not only destroying the constitution but also democracy as well," she said.  On the issue of Uniform Civil Code, Mufti questioned the BJP's notion of uniformity. "What uniformity are they taking about? We have already uniform criminal code. It is perfectly working well," she said.

She also raised the issue of price rise and unemployment. "If the proposed uniformity results in lower tomato prices, the creation of two crore jobs, and the punishment of rapists, then the Opposition would welcome it." She said the Centre should focus on implementing laws that protect and empower women.