Mehbooba Mufti appeals to Rahul Gandhi to raise voice against Muslim 'disempowerment'

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, on Monday, appealed to the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi to raise his voice against the "disempowerment" of Indian Muslims.

In a letter, Mehbooba Mufti called upon Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to raise his voice against the "steady disempowerment" of Muslims across the country.

She has cited recent incidents, including the Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor and "forced displacements" in Assam and Bihar as examples of what she termed a broader pattern of state-sponsored targeting of the Muslim community.

The PDP chief expressed alarm over what she called the use of labels such as "Bangladeshis" and "Rohingyas" to justify the eviction and harassment of Muslims, particularly in northeastern and eastern India.

Referring to recent media reports, she highlighted the bulldozing of thousands of homes and the initiation of "Special Investigation Reports" (SIRs) in Bihar, which she claimed were being used as instruments of collective punishment.

"This silence is an attempt to erase the Muslim presence both symbolically and literally."

She has accused the political class and national media of selectively expressing outrage - highlighting cases of persecution of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, while remaining mute when Muslims are allegedly targeted within India's borders.

The selective empathy, she warned, was damaging the secular and democratic foundations of the republic.

She also made a pointed reference to the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, urging the Congress party to uphold the values enshrined in the Constitution.

She appealed to LoP Rahul Gandhi to use his position and moral authority to "break the silence" and ensure that issues affecting Muslims are not ignored by the opposition alliance during the parliamentary session.

"As a politician from a Muslim-majority region, I often find myself helpless," she wrote, adding that she placed her "last vestiges of hope" in Rahul Gandhi's leadership to reverse the tide of what she described as growing alienation and exclusion.

The letter comes as the opposition INDIA Bloc prepares to corner the BJP-led government on a range of issues during the Monsoon Session, including the state of civil liberties, communal polarisation, and rising incidents of violence.

While Congress has yet to issue a formal response, political observers view her letter as both a plea and a challenge to the national opposition to show greater courage and consistency when it comes to the rights of India's largest minority.

(With inputs from IANS)