Sandeep Bhat
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 11: After failing to establish a strong political foothold in Jammu and Kashmir, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now aggressively capitalizing on the controversy surrounding the imposition of the Public Safety Act (PSA) on its lone legislator, Mehraj Din Malik, in an effort to expand its influence in the Union Territory.
The party leadership, both within Jammu and Kashmir and across other parts of the country, has been vocally highlighting Malik’s detention, framing it as a politically motivated move aimed at curtailing dissent. By projecting the issue nationally, AAP aims to leverage the controversy to gain visibility and political traction in a region marked by complex dynamics and strategic importance.
Malik, who represents the Doda East constituency in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, was booked on September 8. Authorities allege that he threatened to disrupt public order and used derogatory language against the Deputy Commissioner. In support of invoking PSA against him, the police dossier lists 18 First Information Reports (FIRs) and 16 daily diary entries registered at various police stations, citing a pattern of unlawful activity.
For AAP — which has recently consolidated its electoral presence in Delhi and Punjab — Malik’s detention presents what party leaders describe as “a golden opportunity” to grow its base in the politically sensitive terrain of Jammu and Kashmir. The swift response of senior party leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh’s visit to Jammu shortly after Malik’s arrest, is being viewed by analysts as a “strategically orchestrated effort to transform the issue into a broader political campaign.”
AAP’s attempts to expand in the Union Territory are not new. The party first made inroads in 2022, when a few prominent political figures briefly joined its ranks, only to resign later. Among the early entrants was Balwant Singh Mankotia, a two-time MLA from Udhampur, who resigned from the Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party in February 2021 and formally joined AAP in April 2022. His induction was accompanied by several village heads, and members of block development councils (BDC) and district development councils (DDC), in an event attended by Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Environment Minister Gopal Rai on April 8, 2022.
Following Mankotia, Kundal — another Panthers Party leader, two-time MLA, and former minister — also joined AAP but later quit. Similarly, Harsh Dev Singh, a seasoned political figure from the region, along with Taranjit Singh Tony, Surinder Singh Shingari and others, joined AAP in May 2022, but their association with the party was short-lived as they eventually resigned. Except Shingari, all other leaders ultimately quit the AAP before 2024 Assembly elections.
Despite these setbacks, AAP appears determined to revive its prospects in Jammu and Kashmir. The party’s handling of the PSA controversy reflects its broader strategy: mobilizing political sympathy, forging alliances, and creating a narrative that resonates with local grievances while positioning itself as a defender of civil liberties.
As the PSA case unfolds and search for political ground intensifies, all eyes are on how AAP’s renewed focus on Jammu and Kashmir will reshape the region’s political discourse and whether the party can translate its national stature into regional relevance. |
