Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party has turned Kashmir into Afghanistan by using bulldozers to demolish homes of poor citizens.
The former Jammu and Kashmir made the comments in the context of an anti-encroachment drive that is being carried out in the Union Territory since early January. The administration claims to have recovered 1.87 lakh acres of land since the drive began, The Indian Express reported on Monday.
Mufti alleged that the BJP was “behaving like the East India Company” in Kashmir as well as the rest of India. She was referring to the British firm that ruled many parts of India from 1757 to 1857, before the British Crown took direct control of the administration.
The PDP chief urged Opposition leaders Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin and Nitish Kumar to “break their silence” on the demolitions. She accused the BJP of weaponising its brute majority to “bulldoze the Constitution”.
Mufti alleged that the BJP is using tactics in Kashmir that are worse than those employed by Israel in Palestine.
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, on his part, demanded that lists of properties to be demolished should be made public so that citizens can present their claims in response, ANI reported.
“We don’t support the illegal occupancy of government land,” he said. “But there is a way in which evictions should be carried out.”
Abdullah said that the use of bulldozers should be the last resort.
Among the plots of land seized by the administration in the last fortnight were 5 acres of land belonging to Omar Abdullah and his father, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, according to The Indian Express.
Some plots of land belonging to BJP leaders have also reportedly been retrieved under the drive.
Omar Abdullah said on Monday he did not expect to find his family home at Srinagar’s Gupkar Road to be on the list of alleged encroachments as the family has an active lease on it, PTI reported.
“My sister approached the High Court where the government advocates took a stand that the lists in public domain are fake,” he said. “Then what is the basis of demolitions carried out right now?”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!