Srinagar: The BJP should not play with fire when it comes to the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday and warned that abrogating Article 370 would lead to freedom for the state from India.

"If you free Jammu and Kashmir from Article 370, you will free the state from country as well. I have said many times that Article 370 links J&K with the country. When you break this bridge, India loses its legitimacy over the state. It becomes an occupational force," Mufti said. The former chief minister was reacting to the Bharatiya Janata Party's manifesto, in which the party has reiterated its commitment to abrogate Article 370 and annul Article 35A of the Constitution. "The BJP has failed on fronts, be it unemployment, farmer issues or it price rise. Now they are looking for issues which they can use to garner votes," Mufti said.