Srinagar, August 17: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has described herself as a “dimaagi Naxal” while reaffirming her support for Article 370 and the special status that was earlier accorded to Jammu and Kashmir.Reacting to a post by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X, “I support Article 370. I’m a dimaagi Naxal.”Her remarks came amid a political controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent use of the term “dimaagi Naxal” during his Independence Day address. Rijiju had clarified that the Prime Minister had not used the term specifically for opposition leaders.Rijiju, in a post on X, said that Prime Minister Modi had not referred to opposition leaders as “dimaagi Naxals”. He subsequently outlined the categories of people he believed could be described using the term, including those who support Maoists, reject the Indian Constitution, back separatists and support Article 370, or allegedly seek to separate the northeastern region from the rest of India.Mehbooba’s response has triggered renewed political debate over Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, Kashmir politics and the Centre-Opposition confrontation.The PDP chief has consistently maintained her political opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Her latest statement again places the issue at the centre of the ongoing political discourse surrounding J&K, Kashmir, Article 370 and the future of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status.
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