Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 11: The People’s Democratic Party leader and candidate for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency Waheed Ur Rehman Para today accused some officials of manipulating elections for a particular political party.
Para told reporters during his campaign in Pulwama that Apni Party chairman, Altaf Bukhari gets his workers picked up. “Even today, he got 50 of our workers picked up; he knows how to pressurize; he uses money and fear”, he said.
The PDP candidate accused Bukhari of misguiding the Government of India, PM, and Home Minister. “He distances Kashmiris from Delhi through his politics. All this will result in what we faced in 1987,” he alleged.
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“Police officers told us that he (Bukhari) sends the list of those who are to be picked up. We don’t seek support from the Home Minister. Kashmiris should get justice through free and fair elections. Those with a tainted past should not be supported because that distorts the image of the Government of India,” he said.
Para accused Altaf Bukhari of running the political Ikhwan. “He hands over the list to Delhi. I am also on the list of persons he wants to be arrested. He gets people arrested and then in Kashmir, he says he will get them released,” he added.
“We tried to reach out to people during the campaigning. There has been a vacuum here for the last five years, and we tried to connect with the people. There is trauma, suffocation,” he said.
Para said that he has achieved his objective and has come closer to the people, listened to them. “We are happy and satisfied. We are hopeful that the vote will be given to PDP,” he added.
“The way Mehbooba has raised the issues of the people; we have seen that reflection on the ground. There is sympathy from the people for the PDP. People and workers are returning to us,” he added.
Para said that there is good competition, and it is going to be tough between NC and PDP. “We won’t talk about it; we aimed to talk to people because our alliance is with the people,” he added.
“We wanted NC to contest the election on all three seats, but they did not talk about it, so we had to join the fray. But it is good because people get to know who is speaking for them,” he said.
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