NEW DELHI: Former deputy chief minister and founding member of PDP, Muzaffar Beig stormed out Prime Minister Narendra Modi’ rally on Thursday as no separate seating arrangements were made for Padma awardees like him.
Among several non-BJP leaders invited to the rally, Muzaffar Beig and his wife Safeena Beig left minutes after they were taken to a seating area meant for BJP leaders and others.
“Beig is a Padma awardee and came here in that capacity. But it was very unfortunate that there was no separate arrangement for such awardees,” Safeena Beig said.
Asserting to take up the matter with the government, Safeena said, “We had come here to welcome our prime minister and thank him. I came here as (DDC) chairperson. This is an official function and we wanted to be part of it.”
Asked about speculation that Muzaffar Beig might join the BJP, she said politicians from different parties were present at the rally venue and it does not mean all of them are joining the BJP.
“This is not a BJP function,” she said.
Apni Party leader and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu, National Conference leader Pervez Qadri and People’s Conference leader Raja Ajaz Ali were among the politicians who attended Modi’s rally.
The rally, the first by a prime minister at the Bakshi stadium, was held amidst stringent security arrangements. The city, south of Jhelum, was converted into a fortress with only people having valid passes allowed to proceed towards the venue.
This was Modi’s first visit to Kashmir since the Centre abrogated the special status given to the erstwhile state and divided it into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — on August 5, 2019.
Among several non-BJP leaders invited to the rally, Muzaffar Beig and his wife Safeena Beig left minutes after they were taken to a seating area meant for BJP leaders and others.
“Beig is a Padma awardee and came here in that capacity. But it was very unfortunate that there was no separate arrangement for such awardees,” Safeena Beig said.
Asserting to take up the matter with the government, Safeena said, “We had come here to welcome our prime minister and thank him. I came here as (DDC) chairperson. This is an official function and we wanted to be part of it.”
Asked about speculation that Muzaffar Beig might join the BJP, she said politicians from different parties were present at the rally venue and it does not mean all of them are joining the BJP.
“This is not a BJP function,” she said.
Apni Party leader and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu, National Conference leader Pervez Qadri and People’s Conference leader Raja Ajaz Ali were among the politicians who attended Modi’s rally.
The rally, the first by a prime minister at the Bakshi stadium, was held amidst stringent security arrangements. The city, south of Jhelum, was converted into a fortress with only people having valid passes allowed to proceed towards the venue.
This was Modi’s first visit to Kashmir since the Centre abrogated the special status given to the erstwhile state and divided it into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — on August 5, 2019.