India: Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid’s bail ahead of assembly polls could be watershed moment for J&K politics

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With the release of Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Engineer Rashid, the politics of Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a watershed moment.

Rashid is being seen as a strong challenger for the established regional political parties like the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party and can queer the political landscape for them.

Engineer Rashid, who was released on interim bail from Tihar Jail on Tuesday, addressed a public meeting in Baramulla on Thursday.

Thousands of people, mostly youth, had gathered to listen to Engineer Rashid, who defeated National Conference veteran Omar Abdullah by a margin of 2,00,000 votes, and is now hoping for a big victory in the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which are being held after a gap of 10 years.

“It’s after five and half years to be back in the valley. I am happy but I am also feeling a lot of pressure too. I don’t think I have done anything extraordinary, but I stayed on my conviction. I can’t even explain what I went through for the last five and half years, but the love I got from people today made me forget everything. I want the rights of the people to be fulfilled. I was not allowed any mode of communication because I refused to support the BJP,” he said.

Rashid continued, “It’s sad that Omar Abdullah made such statements like it’s the victory of Islamists. Now he says the BJP wants to divide the votes in Kashmir. He did not speak about people for the last five years and that’s why he had to beg by taking his cap off in Ganderbal.”

The other political parties are campaigning aggressively as well. The Congress and National Conference presidents held a joint rally in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Dr Farooq Abdullah and Malikkarjun Kharge were present at the rally/ Congress President Kharge took a direct dig at the BJP and Modi government.

“They used to say 400 paar, where are those 400 seats? They stopped at 240, if we had 20 more seats then all these people would have been in jail,” Kharge said.

Meanwhile, the BJP has also taken a strong stance against the Engineer Rashid and regional political parties like PDP and NC.

Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav said, “This rank separatist, in jail for the last 5 years under UAPA for indulging in anti-India activities, is out on bail to further vitiate Valley politics. Look at the language…anti-Modi rants, restoring Art 370, freeing terrorists from jails…no different from what Omar or Mehbooba or even others like Lone, of NC, PDP or PC – and the Gupkar Gang – is saying. He wants to defeat Modi’s dream of Naya Kashmir. We accept the challenge. Naya Kashmir’s March will go on unrelenting.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Srinagar on September 19. According to the party, he will address a mega BJP rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Park, Srinagar. Around 20,000 to 30,000 party workers are expected to attend the rally.