Why Mehbooba Mufti Has Slammed Centre Over Investments In J&K Since Article 370 Abrogation

Mufti, who had earlier forged an alliance with BJP in April 2016, to become the Chief Minister of the erstwhile state is missing no opportunity to bash her former alliance partner BJP for running affairs of the UT now.

This time Mufti has lashed out at the BJP led government at the Centre over “heavy investment claims”.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Mufti said: “Despite GOIs tall claims of heavy investment flow into J&K post abrogation of Article 370, the figures presented by them in the Parliament prove otherwise. 840 crores in 2017-18 vis a vis 376 crores in 2021-22”.

She added, "the lie has no legs (to stand on)”.

Mufti quoted figures provided by the government during the ongoing Parliament Session.

“As per the information provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, the year wise details of (investments) of the last five years.?
Year 2017-18—840.55 crore rupees; Year 2018-19—590.97 crore rupees; Year 2019-20--296.64 crore rupees; Year 2020-21--412.74 crore rupees and 2021-22—376.76 crore rupees,” the government said in Parliament.

Mufti’s assertion came after the recently revealed figures of investment failed to match what the Centre has been projecting post 5 August 2019, when Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was abrogated and it was downgraded and subsequently divided into two Union Territories—J&K and Ladakh.

The former CM lashed out at the Centre at a time when ?the latter has been holding political families of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the Abdullahs and Muftis, responsible for the region’s “lack of prosperity and development”.

The BJP has been repeatedly saying that former rulers kept J&K deprived of all the benefits for the past seven decades.

It has said that under the garb of Article 370, the rulers in J&K ?reaped the fruits of power and kept everyone, including the business houses, away from the Himalayan region.?

Recently, the Central government said investment projects worth Rs 10,000 crore are under execution in Jammu and Kashmir and proposals worth Rs 50,000 crore are being processed.?

Such assertions of BJP government have faced criticism following a series of alleged scams in recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir.

The allegations have surfaced at a time when government has been championing claim of ‘Naya Kashmir’.?

The government has said: “In Naya Jammu and Kashmir, youngsters, who want to set up any venture, are shown the way and are provided all the possible assistance to chase their dreams”.

It has also been reiterating: “J&K youth have turned from job seekers into employers. They don't run after government jobs anymore. Either they are getting absorbed in the private sector or they are setting up their own ventures”.

It has also made announcements that in 111 industrial estates, 9,869 kanals of land has so far been allotted to the prospective unit holders, who ?have in turn deposited a sum of Rs 217 crore into the government exchequer as their lease dues.

The government has also announced that it has received new investment proposals worth Rs 20,000 crore from April 2022, to August 2022. It has said that these proposals would be cleared as soon as the new “Land Bank" is created.

It had also said from 1947 to 2019 the private investments in J&K stood at Rs 15,000 crore but within two years of abrogation of Article 370, the investment has reached to Rs 60,000 crore.

In her jibe at the Centre government led by BJP, Mufti is giving a sense that “development, investments and normalcy” are just “farce” in J&K post Article 370 abrogation.