Mehbooba Apologises For ‘Toffee’ Remark, Says She Was Concerned For ‘Her Children’

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday apologised for her ‘toffee’ remark, saying she was concerned for ‘her children being pushed to rallies where they got injured’.

“Didn’t I have this right to tell these children in a loud voice that you were part of my rallies… why were you asked to stand in the front of those rallies (protest demonstrations) where you, God forbid, got injured,” said Mehbooba while addressing her workers on the death anniversary of her father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed.

“I still apologise if anyone was hurt,” she said: “What else can I do?”

Mehbooba was widely criticised for her comment during 2016 uprising that the “youth were not going to army camps and police stations to buy toffee and milk”.

She made the comment while addressing a press conference in Srinagar along with Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the peak of the uprising triggered by July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani.