SRINAGAR: PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had put a precondition before PM Modi for government formation in J&K in 2015, seeking an assurance that Article 370 of the Constitution will not be removed by the Centre, party president Mehbooba Mufti claimed on Monday.Speaking to a crowd on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s (here) 24th anniversary of its founding, Mufti claimed that her father Sayeed was not a power-hungry individual who sought to free Jammu and Kashmir from its issues. “Mufti sahib met Modi and presented his list of requirements for the formation of a government when he had 28 seats (in the 2014 Assembly elections). He accepted the BJP government’s pledge that (Article) 370 will not be changed. His hands were bound. Since it took him three months to build the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, he was not interested in power, she claimed.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to Mufti, reneged on its promises and tried to coerce the people of Jammu and Kashmir into submission. “The BJP wants us to abandon ship. We won’t carry it out. We will force the BJP to give up if all of us — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Gujjars, and Paharis — stand together, she claimed. The only female chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti, praised her father for having the guts to stand up for the underdogs. “Mufti sahib informed the Congress (which had 20 seats) that he would form the government only if talks were made with Pakistan and separatists,” she added, “despite having only 16 MLAs in the 2002 Assembly elections. Mufti claimed that her father did not believe in deceiving people and was adamant that India was Jammu and Kashmir’s best option for the future. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was brought back into the mainstream in 1975 by Indira Gandhi, and although being the president of the (Pradesh) Congress at the time, he accepted her choice. According to Mufti, major advancements were made in Jammu and Kashmir’s development and reconciliation during her father’s first stint as chief minister. The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was reopened, the Advani-Hurriyat negotiations took place, and development efforts received a boost, she stated.When the BJP eliminated the unique constitutional provisions pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti questioned what the party had accomplished. “What progress have you made in Kashmir? The national flag was raised at Lal Chowk by Jawaharlal Nehru in front of a large crowd of Kashmiris. There are only security personnel present when the tricolour is raised today, she said. Mufti accused the BJP of attempting to transform the entire nation into Manipur and urged the opposition parties to get together to thwart these efforts. “Manipur is merely a trailer; the actual movie has not yet begun.The BJP seeks to transform the nation into Manipur. If the opposition wants to save India, I implore them to remain unified. Avoid playing number games, she said. In Manipur, where ethnic hostilities have been occurring for almost three months, more than 160 people have died. Mufti criticised the administration for allowing nominations of migrants from Kashmir to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly rather than allocating seats to the group. “You have included a clause for naming Kashmiri Pandits. You should reserve the seats if you have the guts to, and we will vote for them in the same manner as in the past.Muslim-majority districts have chosen Pyare Lal Handoo, M. L. Fotedar, Manohar Koul, D. P. Dhar, and other candidates. “Also, I want to know why there isn’t a reservation for Sikhs. Because if you give Sikhs reservations, you cannot do Hindu-Muslim (politics),” she remarked. The PDP leader claimed that her organisation is not the issue, but rather the answer. “The issue is not with us. The answer lies with us. The democratic system must produce a solution, she said. Mufti instructed the party’s cadre to get ready for the upcoming elections for the panchayat and other local bodies. Elections for panchayats and BDC are approaching. Take use of these areas so that you may help individuals, she advised.