Don’t fall prey to right-wing provocations, Mehbooba urges Muslim community
The Hindu
Let them take all the mosques, Qutub Minar and Taj Mahal, she says
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday asked Muslims in the country not to fall prey to provocations of right-wing groups and “maintain peace even if it means handing over all mosques and places like Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar to them”.
“I appeal to Indian Muslims to maintain peace and stick to your imaan (faith). We Muslims can pray wherever we kneel. We do not need structures for prayers. These (right wing) groups want to provoke Muslims so that they can destroy their houses later. Let them take all the mosques, Qutub Minar and Taj Mahal. But take them in one go and not make it an everyday provocation,” Ms. Mufti said.
She said if taking over the Mughal-era structures would end poverty and unemployment in the country, the government should go ahead with it.
“I must warn it could be worse in India than what is happening in Sri Lanka. The previous Sri Lanka regime too sold hyper-nationalism to people and pitted one religion against another. India is already behind Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal on account of poverty indicator,” Ms. Mufti said.
‘New laws aimed to grab land, jobs’
Ms. Mufti alleged that the new laws introduced in J&K were aimed at “grabbing land and robbing locals of jobs”.
“Stamp duty has been waived off on land. All new laws are aimed at grabbing land and robbing locals of jobs. The administration is interested in advertising jobs only when outsiders are able to apply. I am sure there will be no land left in the coming future for local youth,” she said.
he Tamil Nadu Government will take appropriate decision to protect the welfare and livelihood of Manjolai tea estate workers as Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, which is managing the tea gardens for the past 90-odd years, is about to wind up its operations in near future, Speaker M. Appavu has said.