Political Drama: BJP Dismisses Proxy Allegations with Engineer Rashid
Rashid, who is popularly known as Engineer Rashid, was arrested in a terror funding case under the UAPA in 2019 but was given interim bail by a court.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday vehemently denied any truck with Baramulla lawmaker Sheikh Abdul Rashid, who is currently out on bail, amid allegations from opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir that his Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) is a “proxy” for the BJP.
“The BJP is not dependent on anyone…We have nothing to do with him (Rashid)…he is in jail under UAPA,” said a senior party functionary responding to the regional satraps, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party’s charge that his party is in cahoots with the BJP.
Rashid, who is popularly known as Engineer Rashid, was arrested in a terror funding case under the UAPA in 2019 but was given interim bail by a court to campaign for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which will begin on Wednesday.
Lashing out at the satraps, the senior BJP functionary quoted above said the outcome of the high-stakes election will not be in favour of the NC, the PDP or the Congress. “These three family parties will not be in a position to form the government,” the functionary said.
In response to a question on whether the BJP is in talks with the other political outfits in the Valley for a possible alliance, the functionary said, a post-poll alliance will shape up only after the results. The functionary also expressed confidence that 34 independent candidates, apart from seven other parties, could hold the key to government formation.
On the participation of Jamat-backed candidates in the Valley, the functionary said it shows those who were seeking a separate state are now taking oath on the Constitution.
The BJP, which is contesting only 19 of the 47 seats in the Kashmir Valley and all 43 in the Jammu region, also slammed the Opposition for suggesting that the polls would be a referendum on the Union government’s decision to read down Article 370.
“There cannot be a referendum on Article 370, there is no provision for that in our Constitution…” he said.
The BJP-led NDA government in its second term introduced the Bill to scrap Article 370 and Article 35 (A) from Jammu and Kashmir that gave the erstwhile state special status and mandate to decide domicile issues. After Parliament’s nod to the Bill, the state was bifurcated into two Union territories, the UT of J&K with assembly and the UT of Ladakh without legislature.
While the BJP is confident of emerging as the single largest party, based on its development agenda, regional parties in the UT are promising the reinstatement of Article 370.
On the issue of restoring statehood, the functionary said the government will stand by its assurance to Parliament about the restoration of statehood. “This government respects parliamentary procedure. What was said in Parliament was after a serious thought. Attempts have been made in the last 10 years to bring J&K on track…Restoration of statehood will be done at the earliest. Whoever is elected, is not important, the participation of people itself is a victory,” he said. Source
