In a bid to re-connect with the ‘annoyed’ masses and retrieve her eroding political base in Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has launched a public outreach programme under which she is travelling to the rural areas of the Valley, listening to grievances of the common people.

Her public outreach travel has been tailored to regain the political ground that she has lost in the Valley due to a cycle of violence ever since she occupied the office of chief minister on 4 April last year.

Her outreach to the common people has so far confined to the Valley or some Muslim majority areas of Jammu division. She started the programme last month by first making an overnight visit to the worst terrorism hit district headquarters at Pulwama and thereafter went to Kupwara, Budgam, Baramulla and Anantnag. She was also in the Ramban district of Jammu to meet the people.

The Valley was constantly witnessing violent incidents since the day after Mehbooba became CM in April after the death of her father Mufti Sayeed. The first test of her governance came within two days when tension erupted in Srinagar following police beating up some non-Kashmiri students of the NIT who hoisted the tricolor on the campus. This triggered countrywide protests against Mehbooba.

Just when things were settling down, she was faced with a long-stretched violent agitation within three months following killing of terrorist leader Burhan Wani in an encounter on 8 July that claimed more than 80 lives. Thereafter, tension prevailed in Kashmir where “braid-chopping” incidents by “invisible men” led to violence.

Amidst the continued violence, Mehbooba was not in a position to move out of Srinagar and as such the ruling PDP was also not in a position to celebrate its first year in office as it had nothing to showcase to the people.

Mehbooba’s alliance with the BJP has politically cost her dearly in the valley and as such she has launched the public outreach programme to reconnect herself with the people. Despite security constraints, she was yesterday in Anantnag town of South Kashmir listening grievances of deputations and individuals and issuing remedial orders on the spot. She was accompanied by her principal secretary Rohit Kansal who is an officer with wide ranging experience.

Mehbooba is herself MLA from the Anantnag district where she had earlier spent the night arranging relief when terrorists killed nine Amarnath pilgrims by attacking their bus. Several deputations from Verinag, Kokernag, Nowgam, Bijbehara, Shangus and several other places met her to bring to her notice their longstanding problems. Mehbooba announced several development schemes on the spot to satisfy the people.