Chief of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panther's party Bhim Singh has described former chief minister of the state Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as a national security threat as the latter had challenged the accession of Kashmir to India by the late Maharaja Hari Singh.
Though his party has two ministers in the Congress-led coalition government, Singh was present when Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat filed his nomination in the presidential election.
"Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the chief of the People's Democratic Party, a major ruling partner in Jammu and Kashmir has become a security threat in the state.
"This has become obvious from Mufti's latest statement challenging the state's accession with the Union of India," said Singh, demanding an explanation from the Congress leadership for protecting and aligning with a party that has launched a hate campaign against the army and preaching secession while enjoying the full confidence of the Congress leadership.
He called upon the people of the state -- particularly the youngsters -- to be aware of designs of PDP.
"I call upon the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to be aware of the dangerous agenda of the Mufti and his party, which has been playing a double game with the Kashmiris' rights since 1972.
"It was he as PCC president who surrendered six seats in the Assembly for the Jammat. He created MUF to outwit national parties in the state in 1987. Again as Union Home Minister he got five militants released from jail in exchange for his daughter from the so-called kidnappers.
"His daughter signed the proposal form of the Congress candidate in the presidential poll and in the same breadth the Mufti asked India to remove the army from Kashmir and challenged the accession with the Union of India.
"He appealed to such elements who have been exploiting the Kashmiris to oppose, expose and defeat their ugly designs to destabilise India," he alleged.
People's Democratic Party leaders dismissed the allegations of Singh as part of his desperation, particularly when he knows that the elections are due in the state next year, they say.
Mufti has threatened to break the alliance between his party and the Congress on the ground that the state government has not lived upto people's expectation. He too is finding ways and means to wriggle out of the coalition.
More from rediff