Baramulla member of Parliament Engineer Abdul Rashid, on coming out of jail after more than five years on Wednesday, vowed to fight against the Prime Minister’s ‘Naya Kashmir narrative’ and said that his win in Lok Sabha polls was a referendum against Modi’s policy of the Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.
Just minutes after coming out of Tihar Jail, Rashid, who is also accused of being a BJP proxy by J&K politicians, said, “After remaining in jail for 5.5 years, I feel myself stronger and proud of my people.”
Rashid was arrested in 2019 in connection with a terror funding case and on Tuesday a Delhi court granted him bail till October 2 to allow him to campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.
“I take a pledge that I will not let down my people. I take a pledge that I will fight Modi’s narrative of ‘Naya Kashmir’ which has failed miserably in Jammu and Kashmir. People have rejected his narrative. People of J&K have rejected whatever he did on August 5, 2019. The vote for me was a referendum against Modi’s policy, especially the Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A,” he said.
“I am committed to work for the welfare of my people and for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue. I want to tell Modi ji ‘don’t fear, don’t scare’, we won’t be scared,” he stressed.
BJP leader and J&K’s election campaign incharge Ram Madhav responded in a tweet: “This rank separatist, in jail for 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, NC, PDP or PC – d 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 unrelentingly.”
Rashid’s entry into the assembly elections of 2024 have already created ripples in Kashmir’s political arena. The three former J&K chief ministers–Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti–claimed that he was released to divide votes and expressed apprehensions that he was a BJP proxy.
“I am surprised at BJP’s double standards. When Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail, BJP had opposed that across the country saying how can anyone be released to fight elections. When Er Rashid was released for elections then BJP welcomed that. So something is obviously fishy,” National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah said in north Kashmir. “And if people of Kashmir made a mistake and allowed the vote to get divided then surely BJP will become successful in their conspiracy,” he alleged.
While campaigning in south Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti said that he was released to divide votes. “Today he was released to cut votes and harm PDP by dividing its votes,” she said. On Monday she had alleged that Rashid was a proxy of the BJP.
Despite being lodged in jail, AIP president Engineer Abdul Rashid defeated National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah by two lakh votes. This has created ripples among the prominent leaders.
Former Langate MLA Rashid has often criticized governments for human rights violations, talked about right to self-determination, moved a resolution in J&K assembly seeking clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and also annoyed BJP in 2015 when he had hosted the beef party in the lawns of MLA Hostel in Srinagar after which he was beaten by BJP MLAs in the J&K assembly.
While reacting to Omar and Mehbooba, Rashid said that his fight was for his people and he wouldn’t want to belittle his stature and sacrifice by talking about them.
“My fight is much bigger than what Omar Abdullah says. His fight is for the chair. My fight is for the people. ..People of north Kashmir have responded to him already on June 4 when he lost by more than 2 lakh votes.”
“Mehbooba also lost. I am the agent of my coincidence. I am agent of my people. And why do I need their certificate when I have just come out from Tihar,” he said.
Buoyed by Rashid’s win in Lok Sabha polls, his party AIP has now fielded candidates in various parts of Kashmir and is expanding its base further, including to south Kashmir.
On being asked about being BJP proxy, Rashid said that he was a victim of BJP. “I will fight PM Modi’s policies till my last breath because he has already let down people of J&K. His Naya Kashmir is nothing,” he said.
He said that the high voter turnout in Lok Sabha is Kashmir was a snub to PM Modi’s policies here. “The vote in J&K was not out of love for Modi ji but to tell him what Kashmiris and Kashmir wants. They talk of PoK and when we say that people(of Kashmir) should be asked across borders what they want and how to resolve Kashmir issue, if saying that is a crime I am proud to commit that crime again and again,” he said.
On being labeled a separatist, he said: “I have taken an oath on the constitution but that doesn’t debar me from telling the truth. Nehru had talked about Kashmir issue; Vajpayee ji and every other leader had talked about Kashmir issue. You have signed agreements in Shimla, in Tashkent, in Agra, so how am I a separatist.”
