Jammu: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kavinder Gupta lashed out at the People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, questioning her 'empathy' over the killing of the top Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and termed it "crocodile tears".
This came following Mufti cancelling her election campaign on Sunday for the third phase of the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in "solidarity with the martyrs of Lebanon and Gaza, especially Hassan Nasarullah."
The former J-K Deputy Chief Minister further questioned the PDP chief on her silence on the "attacks and killings" of Hindus in Bangladesh and said that one should speak on the "lines of humanity."
"Why does Hassan Nasarullah's death pain Mehbooba Mufti? When Hindus in Bangladesh are attacked and killed, they are tight-lipped. Today, when the commander of Hezbollah gets killed, they cancel the campaigning for one day. These are crocodile tears and people understand the intent behind this. This kind of conspiracy will lead to nothing; we should speak on the lines of humanity," he said.
Earlier, BJP leader and spokesperson Altaf Thakur also attacked Mufti over the issue and said she was playing her "religious card" and an "election stunt" for doing appeasement.
"Nowhere in the world should there be wars...Mehbooba Mufti is playing a religious card. It is an election stunt. I also condemn any kind of war in the world. There is a style of how Mufti Ji does appeasement," Thakur said.
Earlier on Saturday, PDP chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had decided to cancel her election campaign for Sunday, stating that she stands with "the people of Palestine and Lebanon in this hour of immense grief" following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
"Cancelling my campaign tomorrow in solidarity with the martyrs of Lebanon and Gaza, especially Hassan Nasarullah. We stand with the people of Palestine and Lebanon in this hour of immense grief and exemplary resistance," Mehbooba Mufti said in a post on X.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed the killing stating, "Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world."
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has spiralled in the region with repeated strikes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. The escalating situation in the Middle East has raised concerns, following which many players have called for a ceasefire.
—ANI