In a major embarrassment for PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who has been a staunch critic of the Modi government after the government abrogated Article 370, the party’s outgoing Rajya Sabha MP Mir Mohammad Fayaz today lavished praises on the Centre for its developmental work in Jammu and Kashmir.
In his farewell speech in Rajya Sabha this morning, Fayaz, who is due to retire next week, lauded schemes launched by the Modi government, including the Ujjwala Yojana. Fayaz also mentioned multiple Ministers including late Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, former Health Minister JP Nadda, MoS PMO Jitendra Singh and recounted how they had extended support to Jammu and Kashmir whenever help was sought from them.
Fayaz also highlighted the penetration of the Ujjwala Scheme that had empowered women, including those in Jammu and Kashmir, to lead smoke-free lives, leading to a healthier lifestyle and saving them time by greatly reducing their drudgery.
“We must acknowledge the good work. I have seen it. Whether it is Ujjwala or any other scheme, when I was the chairman of a committee, we were allotted only Rs 5 lakhs in a year. Today, our people claim that they get Rs 5 crore from the government. Ujjwala has provided gas to our women, who earlier used to get firewood from the jungle,” Fayaz said.
Fayaz further said, “Here Piyush Ji is there, Jaitley Sahab was here, Nadda Sahab was here, Jitendra Ji is there, Pradhan Ji is there. Whenever we went to them with issues concerning our state, they never said no to us. If there was any problem, it was because of people such as bureaucrats sitting in my state. From here, they haven’t said no to anything.”
On the contrary, Fayaz blamed elements in the Union Territory for any problems that impeded developmental work. Earlier, PM Modi had commended Fayaz for his passion for Jammu and Kashmir’s progress.
Later, Fayaz also took to Twitter to express his gratitude to PM Modi for his kind words. He stated that his journey from a ward member to Rajya Sabha has made him more knowledgable about the intricacies of life.
“Thank you Hon’ble PM @narendramodi Ji for your kind words. As I mentioned in my farewell speech, my journey as a ward member to Rajya Sabha Member enlightened me with various intricacies of life. This is how life goes on. I pledge to continue my work for people’s good,” Fayaz tweeted.
Thank you Hon’ble PM @narendramodi Ji for your kind words. As I mentioned in my farewell speech, my journey as a ward member to Rajya Sabha Member enlightened me with various intricacies of life. This is how life goes on. I pledge to continue my work for people’s good. https://t.co/ArIrXeUC3m
— Mir Mohammad Fayaz (@MirMohdFayaz) February 9, 2021
Mehbooba Mufti continues to sulk against Modi government for the abrogation of Article 370
Fayaz’s words of praise for the central government and PM Modi came even as his leader Mehbooba Mufti has been sulking against the Centre for invalidating the Article 370 and converting the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. Mufti was detained on August 5, 2019, and thereafter was booked under the Public Safety Act.
After months of detention, Mufti was finally released on October 13, 2020, after which she railed against the central government for rescinding Article 370 and detaining the Kashmiri politicians. PDP then became a part of the Gupkar Alliance and Mufti was elected as the vice president of the coalition.
However, shortly later, differences between the Gupkar alliance partner emerged after Mufti categorically refused to raise the national flag of India until the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. This triggered a wave of resentment within the party, with senior leaders such as Dr Ramzan Hussain, TS Bajwa, Ved Mahajan and Hussain A Waffa tendering their resignations. Mufti’s problems aggravated after her party managed to win only 27 seats in the recently held District Development Council polls as compared to National Conference which bagged 67 seats.
