JNU sedition case: BJP takes dig at Mehbooba Mufti for expressing sympathy for those 'against country'

Jammu: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday slammed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti for “expressing sympathy” towards those raising slogans against the country after she questioned the timing of filing of chargesheet in the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) sedition case, in which seven Kashmiris have been named. In her tweets on Monday, she had alleged that “Kashmiris were being used to score extra political points” ahead of 2019 general elections. [caption id=“attachment_5153411” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Mehbooba Mufti. PTI[/caption] BJP vice president Avinash Rai Khanna said in Jammu that the police were doing their job in the JNU case and he felt “pity” over the PDP leader’s thinking. “Police are doing their work and submitted the chargesheet in the case. There are some students who are not Kashmiris. They raised slogans against the country and she expresses sympathy with them. Sometimes, I feel pity over her thinking,” he told reporters. He said the BJP “loves Kashmiris more than Mehbooba. The BJP honours Kashmir, Kashmiriyat and Kashmiris as was projected by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajapyee”. On the BJP’ prospects in Lok Sabha elections in the state, he said the party had won three seats in the last elections and “we are sure of strengthening the tally further this time”. Asked about “no tweet” by Kashmir-based politicians on Army Day, he said: “This is the difference between their thinking and ours”. “Our social media accounts have been flooded with messages on Army Day. We should salute them because they are guarding our nation,” the BJP leader said. “After the Governor’s rule, terrorist activities have come down and when there is peace, development takes place which will create jobs for the youth,” he said He asserted that a “terrorist is a terrorist and should be dealt accordingly”. Mufti on Tuesday said that local militants as “sons of soil” and efforts should be made to save them. On Monday, she had tweeted about filing of chargesheet in the 2016 JNU sedition case. “No surprises here. We are months away from the 2019 general election and like always, using Kashmiris to score extra political points with the Indian electorate has become somewhat of a pre-requisite,” the PDP president said. “Timing of the chargesheet couldn’t be any more suspicious. When UPA was in power, it decided to send Afzal Guru to the gallows and to this day, Jammu and Kashmir is paying a price,” she had said.