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

In another setback to PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, the three PDP leaders who quit the party after Mufti's remark of 'not raising the tricolour', joined Congress on Monday. The three leaders - Ved Mahajan, Hussain Ali Waffa and TS Bajwa had claimed Mufti's remark had hurt their 'patriotic sentiments'. This setback comes senior PDP leader Dr Ramzan Hussain too quit the party and then joined BJP with his supporters at the 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 the party stating that some elements from within the party started pulling PDP and its leadership in different directions, in their resignation letter. The letter described some of Mufti's recent actions and utterances as "unpardonable" and "unforgettable". Claiming that they felt suffocated in the party, the three leaders quit the party. While Bajwa and Mahajan have been elected as MLA and MLC respectively in the past, Waffa served as the former state secretary of PDP. 

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

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

Mufti: 'Won't raise tricolour'

Addressing the first press conference since her release from detention, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said that she would raise the Indian tricolour only when the Jammu-Kashmir state flag 'comes back'. Asserting that the state flag forged the relation of the 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 the flag of J&K kept on the 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 other flag. Our relationship with the flag of this country is not 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 another exit; senior leader Ramzan Hussain joins BJP