BJP courts Middle East clerics but cheers Sufi shrine vandalism at home: Mehbooba

PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), accusing it of practising deliberate double standards by courting religious figures abroad while remaining silent over attacks on Sufi shrines in India.

In a post on X, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said BJP leaders often showcase their outreach to Islamic clerics overseas but fail to defend India’s syncretic traditions at home.

“BJP leaders pose in mosques abroad and roll out red carpets for Middle Eastern Sheikhs. But back home, they watch with glee the shrine of Sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah being vandalised,” Mehbooba said.

She alleged that such conduct reflects a calculated political approach rather than an isolated lapse. “This hypocrisy is not accidental but deliberate. Destroying symbols of harmony is easier than answering for rising poverty, mass unemployment and a future stolen from the younger generation,” she added.

Mehbooba was reacting to an incident on January 24 in which right-wing Hindu activists allegedly vandalised the shrine of renowned Sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah in Mussoorie. Videos of the incident circulated on social media, triggering condemnation from opposition parties and civil society groups.

The PDP leader said Sufi shrines have historically symbolised communal harmony and spiritual pluralism in the subcontinent, and attacks on them undermine India’s composite cultural heritage.

She also accused the BJP of selectively invoking religion for political optics while failing to act against elements that target minority religious sites.

There was no immediate response from the BJP to Mehbooba’s remarks.

Police in Mussoorie have said they are examining the incident and verifying video footage related to the vandalism. Officials have not yet confirmed whether any arrests have been made in the case.

The issue has added to the broader political debate over religious intolerance and protection of cultural heritage, with opposition leaders alleging that such incidents are becoming more frequent under the BJP-led government.