Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Aug 22: Eying a host of the civil society and political groups, Bhartiya Janata Party [BJP] is poised to start on Saturday a major groundbreaking exercise to fulfill its ambition of winning 44 seats and forming its own government in Jammu and Kashmir. Leaders of the party, that swept the Parliamentary polls in May this year with lead in 33 Assembly segments in Jammu and Ladakh, have already unfolded their plan and named it 'Mission 44-plus'.
Union Agriculture Minister Radhay Mohan Singh, who is entrusted with a key political responsibility alongwith the BJP President Amit Shah and the national General Secretary incharge J&K JP Nadda, is arriving in Srinagar literally on a saffron development mission. The party sources revealed to Early Times that Singh would start an extensive interaction with the BJP cadre in South Kashmir after inaugurating Saffron Park at Dussu, near Pampore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in fact referred to the same event when on August 12 in Leh he announced a saffron development mission.
Interestingly, the Saffron Park is being inaugurated in an area that has emerged as the hub of jihadist insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir in the last three years. Almost all the prominent Kashmiri cadres of Lashkar-e-Toiba, numbering over a dozen, are residents of Lelhar, Sambora, Panjgam and other villages in Pampore-Pulwama-Awantipora belt. Headed by the dreaded Pakistani commander Qasim, these militants have executed over a dozen attacks on the police, security forces and soft political targets in the last one year. In recent weeks, they shot dead two Policemen and a civilian driver, and two BSF constables, causing in juries to nearly a dozen paramilitary personnel in the same terror corridor.
Politically as well, Singh's visit would be significant in the sense that with his maiden visit BJP would be seeking to cause the first dent in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party's bastion in the Valley. Until recently, a section of media and politics, with eminent leaders like Chief Minister Omar Abdullah beating the drum, had created an impression that BJP and PDP were "hand-in-glove" to replace the National Conference-Congress coalition through the upcoming Assembly elections. Sources insisted that BJP had not only mobilized its cadre to receive Singh, followed by visit of other senior leaders, but had also begun efforts to wean away some of the disgruntled PDP activists. It was not immediately clear if any of them would be obliging Singh with his joining on Saturday or Sunday.
Sources said that Singh would be particularly holding a series of discussions with the activists of Bijbehara, Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Anantnag, Homeshalibugh, Anantnag, Shangas and Pahalgam segments of South Kashmir during his two-day visit. Efforts are said to be underway to also woo a number of disgruntled leaders of NC, Congress and CPM who have lost the hope of getting their party tickets.
Those being approached secretly include a former Minister of State and two-time MLA of Rajpora segment Syed Bashir who has made public his dismay after his party decided to give mandate to a former Chairman of J&K Bank Ltd. Sources said that the BJP could also attempt to woo former NC Minister Bashir Ahmad Nengroo and a former MLA Mushtaq Kuchhay.
Significantly on August 24, BJP President Amit Shah is scheduled to induct the former MP and senior Congress leader Lal Singh at a public meeting in Kathua district. However, Shah would not be visiting Kashmir until "some well known personalities" would decide to join his party.
As of now, BJP is said to be closely in touch with a Baramulla-based civil society group 'Awami Awaz Party' [AAP]. A middle-ranking separatist leader, who lives in Ratnipora village of Pulwama district, is reportedly among the dozen-odd political and social activists who are sought to be sponsored "indirectly" for contesting the Assembly elections. The group has emerged as a major NGO on account of its mobilization and activity to fight the social crime like drug addiction. One Dr Farooq, who is the son of a former Tehsildar and whose relative had become a drug addict, is said to have worked hard to run the organisation which has already been joined by a professor of Kashmir University's Political Science department, a well-known advocate of Baramulla's Kandi area and a number of medical practitioners.
However, a retired SSP, who played a key role in establishing and operating the AAP, has made it clear that he would not indulge in any kind of the political activity.
The political organisation, likely to be considerably supported by the Centre and the BJP, may be named as Democratic Republic Party [DRP], well-placed political sources said.
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