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Journalism of Courage
In Delhi, the BJP debates 8216;Hindu terror8217; vs. 8216;Islamic terror8217; but the party8217;s Kashmir unit administers a little bit of Islam, some nationalism and a large dose of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Slogans like 8216;Nareye Takbeer, Allah Ho Akbar8217; Say he is the greatest, Allah is the greatest announce every rally or workers8217; meeting. Candidates reiterate their Muslim credentials before talking about the party8217;s Kashmir agenda. 8220;I am a Muslim first with God and his Prophet, peace be on him, being in my heart. After that I am a party worker or a candidate. If the BJP was even remotely anti-Muslim, why would a practicing Muslim like me join the party,8221; challenges Sofi Yusuf, president of the Kashmir BJP and the party8217;s candidate from Anantnag.
But the more interesting reason he offers is Vajpayee. 8220;
Kashmiris love Vajpayeeji. He did so much for us,8221; he says. 8220;The fact that he was the most secular prime minister cannot be doubted. From the opening of the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar road to getting an international airport in Kashmir, it was all his endeavour. Unfortunately, others are taking the credit,8221; he says.
The BJP, he claims, doesn8217;t have dual standards. 8220;Look at all the parties here. They talk autonomy or self-rule and do all kinds of vote-bank politics. The BJP, at least, does what it preaches,8221; he says. 8220;In 1987 the Muslim United Front was winning and the Congress-led government in Delhi handpicked the National Conference to form the government. The disillusioned youth who wanted a change from the khandan raj in the Valley, took to the gun,8221; he says.
Yusuf, a former ASI, joined the party in 1996 and has so far contested three elections. He says it was after a lot of thought that he joined the party. 8220;It was the voice of my conscience, as I love Kashmir. Other parties have given us 80,000 graves. The BJP is the only party that can be trusted8221;.
He claims that his efforts have helped the party gain ground in Kashmir. 8220;From the time when getting a candidate to contest was a problem, to this election when we have four to five people as prospective candidates for each of the 47 constituencies, it8217;s been a long way,8221; he says.
Besides him, 26 Muslim candidates and six Kashmiri Pandits are in the fray. 8220;We are focusing on just 10 seats and are sure to win five,8221; he says.
But when it comes to the rhetoric on Malegaon and Sadhvi Pragya, the tone of the Kashmir BJP becomes similar to that of the party bosses in Delhi. 8220;The BJP8217;s problem is misinformation. It8217;s the Congress that is playing poll politics. Look at the timing,8221; says Mohad Sadiq Khan, vice-president of the Kashmir unit.
