Jammu
After holding a series of meetings with Valley-based leaders, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is going to start a similar exercise in Jammu from July 29 to keep the Peoples Democratic Party’s flock together in the region.

Mehbooba will arrive in Jammu on July 29 and hold parleys with party workers and leaders during her two-day visit. She will also address a meeting of the party’s card-holders on July 30 to celebrate PDP’s foundation day.

Although none of the Jammu-based PDP leaders has challenged the party leadership, discontent is brewing among workers here against, what they allege, the discriminatory attitude of the party high command towards the region.

After the collapse of the PDP-BJP government on June 19, this will be Mehbooba’s first visit to Jammu. Her visit to the winter capital is significant as most of the party leaders here have become inactive for the last one month.

After some PDP legislators in the Valley raised the banner of revolt against the party leaders, party president Mehbooba Mufti started holding interactions with workers and leaders to address their grievances. She has convened over half-a-dozen meetings with party leaders in the Kashmir valley.

A senior PDP leader told The Tribune that earlier it had been decided that Sartaj Madni would address the foundation day function in Jammu but now Mehbooba had decided to interact with Jammu-based workers and leaders to address their apprehensions and grievances.

“After the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the incumbent party leadership has abandoned its Jammu unit,” said the leader on the condition of anonymity.

He said that instead of pursuing inclusive politics like Mufti Sayeed, the present leadership had failed to incorporate the wishes and aspirations of the Jammu region in its programmes and policies. In the 2014 Assembly elections, the PDP had failed to open its account in eight of the 10 districts of the Jammu province but party candidates had performed well in a couple of Hindu-majority Assembly seats.