Congress must act as 'elder brother' for opposition parties: Mehbooba

Srinagar: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday asked Congress to act like an "elder brother" and create space for opposition parties in their fight for democracy.

"Congress will have to behave like an elder brother. It should not choke space, it should create space for other opposition parties, which have been its alliance partners in the past, to save the democracy in the country," Mufti told reporters at PDP office here.

The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said the current struggle was not only about disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha but for the very survival of democracy in the country.

"The country is passing through a critical situation and it is a do to die situation. It is not just about the survival of Rahul Gandhi, it is about the survival of democracy, " she said.

"Be it judiciary, media or executive, all the pillars of democracy are shaken," she said.

The PDP president said the assault on democracy started in 2018 when opposition parties -- NC, Peoples Democratic Party, and Congress -- were not allowed to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir despite having a majority.

"That time the fax machine was made the scapegoat. But the other opposition parties did not react to it the way they should have," Mufti added.