Mehbooba miffed with G20 lotus logo, draws bizarre Kashmir-Guantanamo comparison

Mehbooba Mufti, leader of the Jammu and Kashmir-based PDP, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 'hijacked' the G20 Summit and replaced the logo with lotus, and accused the Centre of turning the region into a 'prison' ahead of the summit starting May 22 and concluding on May 24. "G20 is an event for the country but BJP has hijacked it, they have even replaced the logo with Lotus, the logo should have been something related to the country, not a party...it is the SAARC that will establish the leadership of our country within this region...why not have a SAARC summit and address our problem," Mufti said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: ..." G20 is an event for the country but BJP has hijacked it, they have even replaced the logo with Lotus, the logo should have been something related to the country, not a party...it is the SAARC that will establish the leadership of our country within this… pic.twitter.com/UPzCXqe94B

— ANI (@ANI)

The symbol for the G20 Summit under India's presidency was unveiled on November 8, 2022 nearly a month before India took over presidency of the august forum on December 1, taking over from Indonesia. While unveiling the logo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the symbol of the lotus represents India's cultural heritage and faith in bringing the world together." 

"This G20 logo is not just a symbol, it is a message, an emotion running through our veins. It is a resolve, which is now being included in our thoughts," PM Modi had said about the logo. "India's presidency comes at a time of crisis and chaos in the world... No matter the circumstances, the lotus still blooms."

G20 can't solve India's problems: Mehbooba

Mufti, 63, former chief minister of the once-state of Jammu and Kashmir, further said that the challenges faced by India can be resolved by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)), the intergovernmental organisation comprising South Asian nations, and not the Group of 20 -- an international forum consisting of 19 nations and the European Union. 

“My point is our problems are within the region, G20 may be something in the region doing some kind of publicity for the BJP party at the national and international level...it is the SAARC that will establish the leadership of our country within this region...why not have a SAARC summit and address our problem," Mufti said.

Mehbooba compares Kashmir to Guantanamo 

Mehbooba Mufti compared the ramping up of security in Kashmir, a region that has been a hub of terror activities until recently, to Guantanamo, the US-run military detention camp in Cuba which is often accused of human rights violations.

"The place which was converted into an open-air prison have been converted into Guantanamo today. Because even houses have been taken over, there is a three-four-five tier security. There are checkings going on, everything in the house has been turned upside down.” 

Elections in Jammu and Kashmir 

Asked if she will be contesting the upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti said she won't contest polls until Article 370 is reinstated and that there is no possibility of polls in Jammu and Kashmir in the near future, a claim also made by Omar Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference and also a former chief minister. Earlier this month, Abdullah said, "The BJP is not ready for assembly elections because they know they are going to lose the elections. They don't have the courage to face the people. We are also not ready to beg for the polls. If they hold the elections, well and good! If they don't, so be it!"