Fight me politically, if you don't have courage then...: Former Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti challenges BJP

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party asking the party to fight her politically.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asking the party to fight her politically. During a press conference, she asserted, "Fight me politically and not through NIA or ED. I have nothing to hide."

Mufti said, "I am telling the government and BJP to fight me politically. You have made NIA and ED as a keep. If you don’t have the courage to fight a woman politically than they should wear bangles and stay at home."

Mufti added, "The witch hunt has reached the roof now. They have started a witch hunt against the relatives, party members. Like Waheed Para (PDP youth leader presently in the custody of NIA) the purpose of it was that they need something against me. He was deprived of sleep and was interrogated."

"Through Waheed, they have tried to connect me to terror funding but haven’t found anyone. Anjum Fazili and Altaf are also our members and their houses were raided. Former minister Nayeem Akhtar was also detained. The people of Jammu and Kashmir need my voice and that’s what I am doing and they are against me," Mehboba added.

Mehbooba targeted Central government saying, "They have made NIA and CBI their weapons. They have put an audit on my father's graveyard. If we have taken a loan even that’s become a problem for us. Even my sister who lives abroad has some land here and she is also being investigated.”

"We have as a government always helped the families of militants or anyone who lost their loved ones. But they made an obituary for my party. I will never stop talking, I don’t know when they will take me and where," she said.

"We fought only on 60 seats and we almost got 30 seats. I am pleasantly surprised. They manipulated many seats. They cancelled the candidature of PAGD candidate. They did exactly what they are doing in West Bengal. They are scared now, they won’t have assembly elections now," Mehbooba added.

The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) swept the maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls by winning 110 seats, while the BJP emerged as the single largest party by getting 75 seats after securing the largest vote share in Jammu and Kashmir. "They (BJP) thought people are not with the parties here, but the results have shown that the people are with the NC, PC and PDP," Mufti said.