Tweet war between Gambhir and Mufti: This time over Amit Shah

File photo of Mehbooba Mufti and Gautam Gambhir

New Delhi, June 03: BJP's newly elected parliamentarian Gautam Gambhir on Monday slammed former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for attacking Home Minister Amit Shah.

The fresh attack was in response to her tweet in which she attacked Home Minister Amit Shah as she backed a political solution to the Kashmir issue.

"While I am all for a talk-based solution to Kashmir problem but for Mehbooba Mufti to term Amit Shah's process as 'brute' is 'ridiculously naive'. History has been witness to our patience and endurance. But if oppression ensures security for my people, then so be it," Mr Gambhir tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Mufti had called for a political solution of the Kashmir issue by involving all "stakeholders".

"Since 1947, Kashmir's been looked through the prism of security by successive governments. It's a political problem that needs a political redressal by involving all stakeholders including Pakistan. Expecting a quick fix through brute force by newly appointed HM (Home Minister Amit Shah) is ridiculously naive," she said.

The previous government had taken a tough stance on the Kashmir issue as it refused to hold talks with the separatists. After the Pulwama terror attack in which over 40 soldiers were killed, the government scaled down the protection of a number of separatists.

Mehbooba Mufti, the People's Democratic Party chief, had blocked the cricketer-turned-politician on Twitter in April, after the two indulged in a heated argument over the special status bestowed upon Kashmir through Articles 370 and 35A.

The spat began with Mufti's tweet, saying the revocation of the Article 370, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, would mean the Indian Constitution would not apply to the state any more. The Bharatiya Janata Party, has promised to scrap the article in its election manifesto.

"Why waste time in court? Wait for the BJP to scrap Article 370. It will automatically debar us from fighting elections since the Indian constitution won't be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir anymore," she tweeted in response, adding: "Na samjhogay tho mit jaoge, aye Hindustan walo. Tumhari dastaan tak bhi na hogi dastaano mein (O people of India, you will be erased if you do not understand. Even your tales won't be written in history)".

Gambhir had responded by saying that this was India she was talking about, not a "blot like you that can be erased".

In a landslide victory, the BJP won 303 out of the 542 seats. Amit Shah, who was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time, has been appointed as the Home Minister.