3 PDP netas who quit over Mehbooba Mufti's refusal to raise tricolour, join Congress

In ar setback to PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, three PDP leaders who quit party after Mufti's remark of 't raising tricolour', joined Congress on Monday. three leaders - Ved Mahajan, Hussain Ali Waffa and TS Bajwa had claimed Mufti's remark had hurt ir 'patriotic sentiments'. This setback comes senior PDP leader Dr Ramzan Hussain too quit party and n joined BJP with his supporters at party's headquarters in Srinagar.

Ex-PDP leaders join Congress 

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PDP leaders quit

On 26 October,  TS Bajwa, Ved Mahajan and Hussain A Waffa resigned from party stating that some elements from within party started pulling PDP and its leadership in different directions, in ir resignation letter. letter described some of Mufti's recent actions and utterances as "unpardonable" and "unforgettable". Claiming that y felt suffocated in party, three leaders quit party. While Bajwa and Mahajan have been elected as MLA and MLC respectively in past, Waffa served as former state secretary of PDP. 

Following this, senior PDP leader Dr.Ramzan Hussain quit party along with his followers to join BJP. Hussain had unsuccessfully contested 2014 Assembly polls from Bani constituency as a BSP candidate before joining PDP. Stressing that people of J&K are very optimistic about policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he opined that region is on right track towards peace and development. Recently, PDP along with its Gupkar alliance parties, have jointly decided to contest in DDC elections unitedly to ensure 'sacred in democracy' is t 'invaded by divisive forces'.

3 PDP leaders quit Party amid Mufti's tricolour remark, say 'some utterances unpardonable'

Mufti: 'Won't raise tricolour'

Addressing first press conference since her release from detention, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said that she would raise Indian tricolour only when Jammu-Kashmir state flag 'comes back'. Asserting that state flag forged relation of Union territory with India, Mufti said that she would strive to get back Article 370. Mufti was released in October, almost 14 months after she was detained by  J&K administration. Mufti has been elected as Vice President of People’s Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) - led by Farooq Abdullah. While BJP has condemned Mufti's comments,  Congress and HC have distanced itself from it.

"My flag is this (points to flag of J&K kept on table in front of her). When this flag comes back, we'll raise that flag (tricolour) too. Until we get our own flag back, we won't raise any or flag. Our relationship with flag of this country is t independent of this flag (Jammu and Kashmir's flag). When this flag comes in our hand, we will raise that flag too," PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti stated. 

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti refuses to raise Indian tricolour till 'J&K flag is brought back'

PDP chief's tricolour remarks trigger ar exit; senior leader Ramzan Hussain joins BJP