Haryana, India

Advertisment

Chief Minister of the Indian state of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, criticised People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday (Sep 29) for showing "solidarity" with deceased Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"Right now, there is a war going on between Israel and Palestine. The Israeli army killed Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrullah. That is their country's business. But today, in Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti says she will not campaign because she is sad that Hasan Nasrullah has been killed. I want to ask Mehbooba, Farooq Abdullah, and Rahul Gandhi: When terrorists kill Hindu soldiers, do you feel sad or not?" Sarma was quoted as saying at an election rally in Haryana’s Sonipat by news agency ANI.

What did Mehbooba Mufti say?

Advertisment

Sarma’s comments came a day after Mufti, the former CM of Jammu and Kashmir, cancelled her election campaign on Sunday to show "solidarity with the martyrs of Lebanon & Gaza, especially Hassan Nasrallah."

Also read: BJP's Amit Shah slams Congress for 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans at rallies; vows to ‘straighten’ Waqf Board law

"Cancelling my campaign tomorrow in solidarity with the martyrs of Lebanon & Gaza, especially Hassan Nasarullah. We stand with the people of Palestine & Lebanon in this hour of immense grief & exemplary resistance," Mufti said in a post on X. 

Advertisment

'Crocodile tears': Mufti faces backlash for her Nasrallah comment

"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," said former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta, according to ANI.

Also read: Two abducted men seek help in viral video; Manipur CM blames ‘Kuki militants’ for kidnapping them

Nasrallah’s body recovered intact from the site of strike

Israel had previously announced on Friday that it killed Nasrallah during an airstrike on Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hezbollah confirmed his death the following day.

Two sources told Reuters that Nasrallah’s body was recovered intact from the site of the Friday strike. As of Sunday, Hezbollah had not released any details regarding his funeral arrangements.

(With inputs from agencies)