Peoples Democratic Party chief and prominent Kashmiri politician Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that former President Ram Nath Kovind fulfilled Bharatiya Janata Party’s political agenda during his tenure.
“The outgoing president leaves behind a legacy where the Indian Constitution was trampled upon umpteenth times,” former J&K CM tweeted.
“Be it scrapping of Article 370, CAA [Citizenship Amendment Act] or the unabashed targeting of minorities and Dalits, he fulfilled BJPs political agenda at the cost of the Indian Constitution.”
Kovind left the office on Monday after completing his five-year term.
Droupadi Murmu, a candidate backed by the National Democratic Alliance, was sworn in as India’s 15th President.
Mufti’s tweet referred to the Union government’s move to scrap special status to Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and downgrade the former state into two union territories.
The Muslim politician also mentioned the anti-Muslim citizenship law or Citizenship Amendment Act that triggered countrywide protests in late 2019 and early 2020.
BJP government amended India’s citizenship law to expedite nationality for persecuted immigrants – except Muslims – from three neighbouring countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
On 12 December 2019, Kovind had given his assent to the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act.
