Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti sparked a political row after she compared the situation of minority communities in Bangladesh to that of minorities in India, implying that there is 'no difference' between the two countries.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief's statement was condemned by several BJP leaders, who urged the J&K government to take action against her, terming her remarks 'anti-national'.
"In Bangladesh, atrocities are being committed against Hindus. If atrocities are committed against minorities in India also. Then what is the difference between India and Bangladesh? I don't find any difference between India and Bangladesh," Mufti said while speaking to her party workers in Jammu on Sunday.
"We have such a great country, known worldwide for its secular character," she said.Mufti's statement came amid the ongoing protests against Hindu religious leader Chinmoy Krishna Das's arrest in Bangladesh.
The BJP raised serious objection to the PDP chief's remarks. "Mehbooba’s controversial statement comparing the situation in Bangladesh with India is completely wrong and condemnable. The world is aware of the worst kind of human rights violations in Bangladesh, where the minority community is facing targeted attacks, women insulted, and an elected prime minister forced to flee the country, besides the statues of its founder desecrated," former J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina was quoted as saying by news agency .
"The J-K government should take serious note of the anti-national statement of Mehbooba and her conspiracies. Action should be taken against her," he demanded.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Jammu-Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma, said Mehbooba Mufti's statement an attempt to revive her party after a drubbing in the Assembly elections.
"The PDP is completely finished and Mehbooba is making such statements to provoke Muslims in an attempt to re-establish her party. She is trying to mislead the people by such types of statements, knowing fully that Muslims in the country, especially in J-K are safe," he said, stressing that there is no comparison between the situation in Bangladesh and India.
Speaking with reference to the controversy over the Sambhal mosque survey, the PDP chief said, "The Sambhal incident is very unfortunate. Some were working in shops and were shot. Ajmer Sharif Dargah, where people from all religions offer prayers and is the biggest example of brotherhood, they are also trying to dig into it to search for a temple".
She claimed that the country was returning to the situation of 1947. "We are being taken in that direction (1947). When young people talk about jobs, they don't get it. When they talk about it, they are put in jail like Umar Khalid," she said.
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