The BJP is attempting to create “mini-Bhindranwales” in Jammu and Kashmir, according to Mehbooba Mufti, the chief of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In an interview with The Indian Express at her party office in Srinagar, Mufti likened the BJP’s actions to the Congress’s strategy in the early 1980s in Punjab, where they elevated Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to politically outmaneuver the Akalis, only to find themselves unable to control the situation. “That’s what the BJP is trying to do,” she asserted.

Her remarks refer to Engineer Rashid, the Awami Ittehad Party leader who recently won the Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla as an independent candidate, defeating National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah and People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone while still incarcerated. Valley parties have raised questions about the coincidence of Rashid receiving bail to campaign for his party candidates before the Assembly elections.

Mufti noted that during Rashid’s Lok Sabha campaign, slogans of “aazadi” (freedom) were chanted at his rallies, a reflection of his previous demand for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.

Despite her party’s past alliance with the BJP after the 2014 elections, which she admits was a mistake, the former Chief Minister remains optimistic about the upcoming polls, predicting a clear victory for anti-BJP parties. “It will be a secular government in Srinagar, not a BJP government,” she stated.

When asked whether the PDP would support the NC-Congress alliance if they fell short of the numbers needed to form a government, Mufti replied, “We can consider it if they need our support… But we will have certain conditions. We will do it to further our agenda.” Notably, she was excluded from the NC-Congress alliance, despite being a member of the INDIA bloc.

Mufti outlined her party’s priorities as including the release of prisoners, addressing rampant unemployment, and restoring the durbar move to Jammu. She expressed her willingness to support a “secular formation” to prevent leaving the field open for separatists.