Chidambaram slams Centre over Mehbooba’s house arrest

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Sunday took a swipe at the Central government over Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s house arrest.

"The Government and the LG of Jammu and Kashmir celebrate the 'peace' that has descended on the State (now UT) after the abrogation of Article 370. I wish to quote (former US) President (John F) Kennedy who warned against the peace of the grave and the silence of the slave," Chidambaram wrote in a tweet attacking the government, referring to the fourth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

The former Union minister said, "If there is so much peace in J&K, why has the government put Mehbooba Mufti under house arrest and sealed the offices of the PDP and NC (National Conference)? Freedom is suppressed all over India but it is most severely suppressed in J&K."

On Saturday, Mufti in a series of tweets wrote, "I’ve been put under house arrest along with other senior PDP leaders today. This comes after a midnight crackdown where scores of my party men are illegally detained in police stations."

Attacking the government, the former chief minister said, "Government of India's false claims about normalcy to the Supreme Court stands exposed by their actions driven by paranoia."

On the completion of the fourth year of abrogation of Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir L-G Manoj Sinha said, "On 5th August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji had ended the discriminatory system which harboured separatism and nepotism. He ushered sustained peace, dignity, security, equal access to resources for new aspirations, new resolutions for Jammu and Kashmir's glorious future".

With inputs from IANS