Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Dec 23: Describing the total wiping out of non-Muslim Congress candidates from entire Jammu region as a matter of serious concern, former Union Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz has said that growing politics of extremism in Jammu region is dangerous for the democracy and secularism of the country and the J&K State.
Talking to the Excelsior after party’s defeat in Jammu region, specially in Chenab valley and Jammu district, Prof Soz said, “We accept and honour the verdict of the people. We will definitely go for self-introspection. BJP has tried to promote politics of extremism and engineered polarization. But people of Kashmir and Ladakh region have rejected the BJP agenda.”
Responding to a question, Prof Soz said in Ladakh, Congress has performed very well. “Out of four, we have won three seats including Leh and Kargil. We lost Zanskar seat with the small margin. Independent candidate was little strong there. In Kashmir Valley also Congress has performed little well. Party grabbed four seats while last time it had three seats in kitty. Gurez seat has been lost by a narrow margin of 140 votes while Dooru seat has been lost by G A Mir by just 172 votes,” Soz maintained.
“I am specially disturbed with the defeat of two non-Muslim and strong party candidates from Jammu region, Raman Bhalla and Sham Lal. Both respected and represented the aspirations of the people of Jammu region strongly and especially from their respective constituencies and also performed well. More disturbing, rather dangerous is the fact that not even a single non-Muslim Congress candidate from Jammu region could manage a seat for the party,” Soz added.
“Modi ji and other BJP people pursued purely RSS agenda in Jammu region, engineered polarization and played politics of extremism which is very dangerous signal for the Indian democracy. BJP leaders always raked up the issue of Ram temple and Abrogation of Article 370, but both are impossible situations. People of Kashmir and Ladakh understood the hidden agenda of BJP and rejected this party. But in Jammu, they managed to pursue their agenda and engineered polarization,” Soz said.
“Our number was 17 in 2008 elections but it has reduced to just 12. In Chenab valley region we could get just two seats of Inderwal ( Ghulam Mohd Saroori) and Banihal (Vikar Rasool), two in Reasi district which included Gool-Arnas (Ajaz Khan) and Gulabgarh (Mumtaz Khan) seats and one in Surankote (Poonch). Sitting Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora from Leh has managed big win, one from Kargil (Asgar Ali Karbalai) and another from Nobra ( Deldan Namgail). Four seats of Devsar ( Mohd Amin Bhat), Sopore ( Ab Rashid Dar), Bandipore (Usman Majid) and Shangus ( Gulzar Ahmed Wani) have been won by our party this time,” he maintained.
On the issue of Govt formation, Soz said, “We will wait and watch but our doors are open. It is also clear that we will not go with the BJP. Congress can go with any secular and like minded party, to keep BJP away,” PCC chief maintained.
Meanwhile, immediately after their win both Congress candidates Ajaz Ahmed Khan and Mumtaz Ahmed Khan took out victory processions from Reasi district headquarters. Both the candidates (brothers) along with long cavalcades, moved to their respective constituencies. The party candidates and their supporters garlanded them profusely and then took them in open vehicles towards their home constituencies.
First time MLA from Surankote Ch Mohd Akram and son of late Ch Mohd Aslam (former PCC chief), was accorded grand reception after his victory procession reached Surankote town from Poonch this afternoon. The people were seen dancing on the drum beats and distributing sweets to celebrate the victory. Similar reports were received from Kishtwar after the win of Ghulam Mohd Saroori from Inderwal and at Banihal where Vikar Rasool’s supporters took out grand victory procession.
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