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BJP looking to fragment votes in Kashmir via independents: Congress’ Tariq Hamid Karra
A member of one of Kashmir’s oldest political families, Tariq Hamid Karra has been tasked to revive Congress’ fortunes and his own win is key for the plans
Congress’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president Tariq Hamid Karra on Thursday said independent candidates are being deliberately fielded in Kashmir for fragmentation of votes, cautioning that “mistakes of today” will have an impact for another 100 years.
Karra filed his nomination papers from Shalteng assembly segment in Srinagar. He has represented Batamaloo (now Shalteng after delimitation) and is considered as a strong candidate for the seat, which came Congress’ way in seat-sharing agreements with ally National Conference. In 2014, the seat was won by NC’s Irfan Shah, who also filed nomination papers from the constituency after being denied a ticket.
Karra had won the Lok Sabha polls from Srinagar in 2014 but left the Peoples Democratic Party after the party formed a coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party. He later joined Congress.
A member of one of Kashmir’s oldest political families, Karra has been tasked to revive Congress’ fortunes and his own win is key for the plans. He was accompanied by hundreds of Congress and NC supporters when he filed his papers. “I have been with the people whether I was in an electoral fray or not and that’s why they are enthusiastic,” he said.
Karra said that BJP was irked by the NC-Congress alliance, adding, “Deliberately, the BJP is trying for fragmentation of votes. This started in 2014 and now you are seeing candidates in every lane and locality of Kashmir.”
Saying the NC-Congress combine was committed to safeguarding the identity of Jammu and Kashmir and its people, he said, “This alliance is important to safeguard the future of our coming generations. This alliance is for restoration of rights given by constitution to the people of J&K.”
“If people commit any mistake that will have an impact for one hundred years on Kashmir,” he added.
