Bharatiya Janata Party’s Jammu and Kashmir elections in-charge Ram Madhav on Wednesday accused the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party of using ex-militants for canvassing for the coming Assembly elections and called upon the people to ensure their defeat in the coming elections.
“We will remind the people of Jammu and Kashmir that NC, PDP and others have brought out manifestos to take Kashmir back… I see the ex-militants openly campaigning for NC and PDP, they must be defeated,” Madhav said speaking to media in Srinagar.
Madhav’s remarks came during his visit to the Valley for the filing of nomination papers of BJP candidates for the second phase of polls. Madhav claimed that the BJP will emerge as the single-largest party in the UT and the new government will be formed under its leadership.
Restoration of Article 370 and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, resolution of the Kashmir issue and talks with Pakistan are among the promises made by the NC and PDP in their election manifestos released ahead of polls and urged the people to step up and ensure that a pro-peace and pro-development government takes the helm in Kashmir.
“A new leadership will emerge in J&K – of those who want peace, who don’t support terrorism, and of those who want development. Such new people, new parties and leaders will emerge in Kashmir,” Madhav said. “In Jammu, the representative of peace and development, BJP will emerge”.
Madhav further said that for the past 30-40 years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have gone through a tragedy and exuded confidence that the families responsible for it will be shown the door in the polls this time.
“Jammu and Kashmir was under the grip of two families, which need to be shown the door,” he said in an apparent reference to the families of NC president Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.
PDP leader Naeem Akhtar countered Madhav on his remarks and pointed out that a majority of the BJP’s cadre in Kashmir comprises surrendered militants.
“It is not Ram Madhav’s place to preach to PDP what to do and what not to do. We are an independent party that stands for reconciliation and for reducing tensions. The majority of their (BJP) so-called cadre (in Kashmir) comprises surrendered militants,” he told The Indian Express.
Akhtar further sought to remind Madhav that the agenda that he helped finalise for the BJP-PDP alliance in 2014 included the preservation of J&K’s special status and dialogue with Pakistan, Hurriyat and others to involve them for peaceful resolution of Kashmir.
“He (Madhav) can’t run away from that. We are on the same agenda, we are not like the BJP that we enter into a marriage of convenience,” Akhtar added.
The National Conference said that Madhav's remarks indicated that the BJP was scared of facing the elections in Kashmir. "They (BJP) are scared. Probably they want to garner some support in Jammu because they know nobody is going to buy their argument in Kashmir.” He added that “We are not fighting for anything except for what was snatched from us,” NC chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq told IE.
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