NC MLA Javid Beigh seeks PDP clarification over remarks on Muslim Conference, accession
Arshid Farooq
Srinagar, Oct 5 (KINS): National Conference MLA Javid Hussain Beigh has sought a clear response from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over remarks allegedly made by a PDP-backed questioner during a recent political discussion involving NC president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah.
Beigh said the person had asked Farooq whether he regretted the conversion of the Muslim Conference into the National Conference and subsequently made a “revealing” statement, saying that “the choice of the Qibla was wrong.”
According to Beigh, the remark, in the context of the discussion, raises questions about what was being implied regarding the decision of Maharaja Hari Singh to accede Jammu and Kashmir to India.
“These are not ordinary political remarks. They touch upon the history of Jammu & Kashmir, the evolution of the National Conference, and the circumstances surrounding the accession of the State to India,” Beigh told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The NC MLA demanded that the PDP clarify whether it endorses the statement.
“If yes, PDP should have the courage to own it openly and explain its position to the people. If not, then the statement should be unequivocally condemned and appropriate action taken against the person who made it,” he said.
Referring to the previous day’s “Halla Bol” discussion, Beigh said the issue could not be “brushed aside or left deliberately ambiguous.”
He said that on questions concerning the history and constitutional relationship of Jammu and Kashmir with India, there should be “no double standards, no political ambiguity and no selective outrage.”
“PDP must clearly state: Does it stand by the statement, or does it reject it?” Beigh said. (KINS)
