3 PDP leaders quit party over Mehbooba Mufti’s comment on Indian flag

NEW DELHI: PDP leaders TS Bajwa, Ved Mahajan and Hussain A Waffa resigned from the party on Monday, saying they feel uncomfortable over "utterances which have hurt their patriotic sentiments".

In their letter to party chief Mehbooba Mufti, the leaders said they are "feeling quite uncomfortable over some of her actions and undesirable utterances specially which hurt patriotic sentiments."

"Instead of overcoming the challenges from within and outside by a process of broader consultations and trust, some elements within the party are pulling the party and leadership in a particular direction, thus deviating from the basic principles, agenda and philosophy, making it difficult to face the saner voices in the society," the letter said.

The resignations come after Mufti, who was recently named as the deputy chairperson of People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, said she is not interested in contesting elections or holding the tricolour till the constitutional changes enforced on August 5 last year are rolled back.

The Centre had last year scrapped the special status of Jammu & Kashmir and bifurcated the region into two Union Territories.

Mehbooba, who was released on October 14 after a 14-month detention, had said she would hold the national flag only when the separate flag of the erstwhile state is restored.

The BJP had hit out at Mufti for her "seditious" remarks on the tricolour and demanded her arrest.