J&K BJP chief expels party leader for hate speech
“Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina expelled senior leader Satish Bhargav from primary membership of the party for six years over hate speech and unparliamentary language during an election meeting,” said Advocate Sunil Sethi, chairman of the BJP’s disciplinary action committee.
Following strong objections by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the hate speech by a BJP leader Satish Bhargav at Poonch’s Mendhar, the Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina has expelled the leader from primary membership for a period of six years.

“Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina expelled senior leader Satish Bhargav from primary membership of the party for six years over hate speech and unparliamentary language during an election meeting,” said advocate Sunil Sethi, chairman of the BJP’s disciplinary action committee.
Disciplinary action was taken against Bhargav after a video circulated in the media where he, along with making hate speech was threatening and using unparliamentary language in a meeting at Mendhar area of district Poonch.
Advocate Sethi had recommended the action to Raina. “It is highly deplorable and such behaviour by a senior leader is gross indiscipline and can’t be tolerated in a disciplined party like BJP. It is as such recommended that he should be immediately expelled from the party for 6 years. Enquiry is not needed in this matter as his conduct is recorded and spread in the masses,” read the letter issued by Sethi.
Satish Bhargav was Poonch district spokesperson of the BJP.
On Tuesday, PDP lodged a written complaint against the BJP before the Anantnag district commissioner for intimidating the voters to vote for Syed Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party.
In a letter to the returning officer, Firdous Tak, former legislator and member of political affairs committee of the PDP lodged the complaint regarding alleged intimidation tactics by the BJP in Anantnag-Rajouri Constituency.
“It has come to our attention that there have been alarming instances of intimidation and threats targeting Pahari Muslims, aimed at influencing their voting choices. Specifically, it has been reported that representatives of the BJP have been openly making threats towards Pahari Muslims, suggesting that a repetition of the events of 1947 could occur if they fail to vote for the candidate backed by the Sangh Parivar i.e. Apni Party,” Tak’s complaint to the returning officer read.
As evidence Tak had enclosed a video footage of a BJP meeting held in Mendhar area of Poonch where a BJP leader Satish Bhargav was seen threatening violence against Paharis to force them to vote for Apni Party or else they will create communal tensions reminiscent of the 1947 partition.
Tak said that in light of the seriousness of these allegations, PDP requests that a thorough investigation be conducted into these incidents.
Furthermore, the PDP intended to lodge a formal complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding these violations of electoral conduct.
The BJP, it may be stated here, has not fielded any candidate on the Anantnag-Rajouri-Poonch seat.
The National Conference, PDP and Congress--members of the INDIA bloc, call Apni Party, Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party and Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference as proxies for the BJP.
Poonch district is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency where the elections have been rescheduled from May 7 to May 25 by the Election Commission.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Mian Altaf are in a direct contest from the constituency. Prominent among 19 other candidates in the fray include Mohammad Saleem Parray of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and J&K Apni Party leader Zafar Iqbal Khan Manhas.
