Mehbooba Mufti says PDP is now ‘garbage’ free, Apologizes for Toffee comment

Asking youth to join Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday, while referring to the resignation of some party leaders, said that all the ‘garbage’ has left party.

PDP President also apologized for her toffee comment which she made during the peak of 2016 summer uprising.

Addressing a gathering on the death anniversary of his father late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed at Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, Mehbooba while referring to resignation of former legislators and senior leaders, said that ‘all the garbage in the party has gone out with the wind’.

“I am inviting youngsters they must come forward and join us as all the garbage in the party has gone out with the wind’ Mehbooba told gathering.

Ms. Mufti also apologized for her ‘toffee’ comment which she made during the peak of 2016 summer uprising when she was asked about the killings of youngsters.

“If my comments as a mother have agonized mothers sisters and brothers, I apologize. I am being criticized that I have said toffee etc. But I said it as a mother. Mothers get angry when her kids don’t listen to her.” Mehbooba said.

In 2016, after the killing of popular militant commander Burhan Wani, Mehbooba while addressing a press conference in Srinagar along with the Home Minister of India Rajnath Singh had justified the killing of youth by saying that “they were not going to camps and police stations to buy toffees and milk”.

Mehbooba Mufti also said that she hasn’t gone to visit the militant families on its own. “A group of people approached me and conveyed me their grievances. They told me that their family members have been held by police in Jammu as their son was a militant so I assured that will speak DGP (Director General of Police) and others but after some time I found it appropriate to visit the family so that the message goes out that such harassment of families will not acceptable to us,” she said.

Mehbooba, however said that she will stop visiting families in future if it was hurting youngsters.

Addressing the gathering, Mehbooba claimed that a group of her party compelled her to join hands with Bahrtiya Janta Party (BJP) after her father’s death.

“Initially, I was reluctant and then I started barraging for power projects but some leaders of my party went to Nagpur and told them to sideline me. This development compelled me to again join hands with BJP,” she added.

On the sidelines of the function, Mehbooba Mufti told media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wasted mandate and failed to carry forward the mission of former Prime Minister Atal Bihrai Vajpayee.