A photo of PDP chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, taken during a protest marking the anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, has sparked a new controversy. In the photo, Mehbooba Mufti is seen holding the tricolor alongside the Jammu and Kashmir flag, but the national flag is upside down. BJP leaders and social media users have raised questions about this. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has denied the incident as a deliberate act and called it a human error.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) held a protest in Srinagar to mark the anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. The party has long demanded the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Mehbooba Mufti, who participated in the protest, was seen sitting on the ground, holding two flags.
Meanwhile, a photo surfaced showing the tricolor upside down. Normally, the national flag has saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. However, the viral photo showed green at the top. The image sparked a heated debate on social media.
Omar Abdullah defends Mehbooba
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, reacting to the controversy, said that he does not think that anyone who has led the state would deliberately hold the national flag upside down.
He expressed the possibility that this may have happened unintentionally and should be treated as a human error. Omar Abdullah also urged the government to avoid turning the matter into a major political controversy.
After Mehbooba Mufti’s photo went viral, BJP leaders and many social media users objected to it. Some linked it to respect for the national flag and demanded an explanation from the former Chief Minister. However, according to reports, Mehbooba Mufti did not immediately provide a detailed explanation regarding the controversy.
The statement of 2020 is also in discussion again
Amid the ongoing controversy, an old statement by Mehbooba Mufti, made in October 2020, has resurfaced. At that time, she raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir’s then separate flag and the restoration of its special status, stating that she would not raise any other flag until the Jammu and Kashmir flag was restored.
Her statement sparked a major political controversy at the time. The BJP criticized Mehbooba Mufti’s statement, linking it to respect for the tricolor. The PDP, meanwhile, argued that Mehbooba’s statement was not being considered in its full context.
Politics over Article 370 has intensified again.
On August 5, 2019, the central government nullified most of the provisions of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. This reorganized the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
On the seventh anniversary of the incident, political activity has once again intensified in Jammu and Kashmir. The PDP and National Conference are demanding the restoration of the special status. Meanwhile, a photo of Mehbooba Mufti holding the tricolor upside down has sparked a new political controversy.