Former J&K Chief Minister losing cool in full public glare leaves youth leader ‘red faced’
Srinagar: PDP president and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s outburst against a party leader Arif Laigroo has once again ignited the debate of her “leadership qualities”.
Her remarks insulting a young PDP loyalist who has given his blood and sweat for the party especially in the tough times has come as a shock for many PDP supporters and others.
Mufti reacted quite harshly against a party leader Arif Laigroo who was trying to fit in a frame when the PDP Chief was addressing the media during an election rally.
However, this is not the first time Mufti has lost her cool. During the 2016 unrest, she lost her cool when she made the remarks of “Milk and Toffee” after a journalist asked her a question during a presser when she was holding the office of Chief Minister.
A year later, Mufti apologised for her remarks. Will she again apologise to her party colleague Laigroo remains to be seen?
Mufti’s reaction left Laigroo red faced among the public. She Mehbooba termed Laigroo “Badtameez (uncivilised)…tameez hi nhi hai aapko (You don’t have manners”, when he was trying to appear in a media frame.
Laigroo is someone who has given his blood and sweat to PDP. He stood like a rock with the party in the tough times when most PDP senior leaders, who even held ministerial portfolios during PDP-BJP regime, which fell apart in 2018, quit the party post the abrogation of Article 370.
Laigroo joined PDP in 2012 and has since worked across different portfolios. Currently, he was holding the post of State Secretary (youth) and constituency incharge Habba Kadal.
Post the incident, Laigroo has dropped PDP from his bio on micro-blogging site X (earlier called Twitter) and has not been seen in any of the election rallies for the past two days.
Despite repeated attempts, Laigroo could not be contacted for his comments on the incident. However, sources close to Arif Laigroo said that he is disturbed with the incident as it has happened in a full public glare.
“The video clip of the same has gone super-viral…Laigroo’s supporters in his constituency are unhappy with Mufti and demand a public apology to restore the self-respect of Laigroo,” most of the people believe.
Meanwhile, the X users, Kashmiris netizens, are unhappy with Mehbooba Mufti’s outburst, while some have defended Mufti but largely her remarks have been widely termed as “unacceptable.”
“Mehbooba Mufti’s behavior, where she insulted young party leader Arif Laigroo for merely appearing in a media frame, raises questions about her leadership style! This incident, seen as both hypocritical and arrogant, suggests a contradiction between her claim to fight for people’s respect and how she treats her own team members! Such actions spark a debate on whether this is the kind of leadership that is appropriate for Jammu and Kashmir .. Needs to be pondered upon!,” writes an X user, Tahir Peerzada.
“Mehbooba Mufti’s behavior, where she insulted young party leader Arif Laigroo for merely appearing in a media frame, raises questions about her leadership style! This incident, seen as both hypocritical and arrogant, suggests a contradiction between her claim to fight for people’s respect and how she treats her own team members! Such actions spark a debate on whether this is the kind of leadership that is appropriate for Jammu and Kashmir .. Needs to be pondered upon!,” writes an X user, Tahir Peerzada.
“No doubt that Mr. Arif wants to get into the frame, & this could have been conveyed in a better way. Nevertheless, he is a gentleman,” writes another X user, Aadil Yousf Bhat.
Another user, farhan, @farhanfjk, expressed his concern saying “Mehbooba Mufti’s recent behavior towards Arif Laigroo is concerning. Leadership should inspire respect, not sow discord within the team. It’s crucial for leaders to embody the values they advocate for.”
However, there are few who have defended Mufti. An X user and a woman journalist, Marila Latif, in her post said “it’s a matter of personal privacy: how close a woman chooses to allow men. In between political opinions and criticism, one must always respect a woman.CNI
