Kashmiri activist Sushil Pandit on Wednesday downplayed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's reported anti-separatist statement, saying she is resorting to such statements to win the upcoming by-elections.
Pandit told ANI that the chances of Mehbooba winning by-elections are 'very bleak' and that is why she is making such comments to woo electorates.
"Mehbooba is fighting a very tough by-election to remain the Chief Minister and in order to win this election, she is resorting to all kinds of statements," said Pandit.
"These statements are aimed at getting some kind of sympathy votes, whereas the truth is that she is hand in glove with the separatists. It is a tough by-election for her and her tactics is to get maxim number of candidates to oppose her, may it be Congress, National Conference, Rasheed Engineer and several other independent leaders so that the votes against her get divided. It doesn't seem to be working," he added.
Press Club of India (PCI) president Rahul Jalali also echoed similar sentiments that of Pandit, saying Mehbooba is making such statements to merit attention in the wake of by-elections.
Mehbooba yesterday slammed separatists and accused them of turning Fridays as 'stone-pelting' events in the Valley, which frightened the common man to go to the grand mosque, Jamia Masjid in the old city.
