JAMMU, January 20, 2026 — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokespersons launched a scathing attack on People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday, accusing the former Chief Minister of promoting a “divisive, rabidly communal, and anti-Jammu” political agenda.
During a joint press conference at the party headquarters, BJP leaders Girdhari Lal Raina, Abhijit Jasrotia, and Purnima Sharma condemned Mufti’s recent demand for separate divisional status for the Rajouri-Poonch and Chenab Valley regions.
The spokespersons argued that this proposal, framed under the guise of administrative convenience, is actually a calculated attempt to polarize the population and fragment the Jammu region. They asserted that Mufti’s political history is rooted in sectarian appeasement and identity-based mobilization, which they claim consistently runs counter to India’s national interests and regional harmony.
Former MLC Girdhari Lal Raina criticized Mufti for what he termed a lack of sincerity toward the residents of Jammu, reminding the public that it was voters in Jammu and Uttar Pradesh who historically supported the political rise of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Raina pointed out that if the PDP were truly concerned with administrative neglect, its representatives would have challenged budgetary cuts in education and health during their time in power instead of selectively raising issues now.
He further alleged that Mufti ignores the hardships of remote areas within the Kashmir Valley itself—such as Gurez and Tangdhar—and fails to support the long-pending demands of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community, suggesting her advocacy for minorities is purely opportunistic.
Adding to the critique, Abhijit Jasrotia and Purnima Sharma characterized Mufti’s rhetoric as a dangerous revival of old agendas meant to serve interests across the border by projecting Kashmir as a monolithic entity while breaking apart Jammu. Jasrotia noted that the PDP’s focus on specific sub-regions in Jammu, while ignoring inaccessible areas like Keran and Machil in Kashmir, proves that their true motive is political manipulation rather than genuine development.
Sharma further described Mufti’s statements as an insult to the martyrs of Rajouri and Poonch who died defending national integrity. The BJP leaders concluded by calling on security and administrative agencies to monitor the impact of such communal rhetoric, reiterating that Mufti’s “us versus them” narrative undermines the pluralistic character of Jammu and Kashmir and threatens the stability of the Union Territory.
