Mufti calls Rashid’s Awami Itihad Party BJP ‘proxy’, party hits back
Her remarks came a day after PDP candidate from south Kashmir’s Shopian assembly segment Yawar Shafi Banday was injured in an alleged attack by workers of the AIP, led by Rashid, in Balpora area of Shopian.
Peoples Democratic Party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday launched a rare attack on the Engineer Abdul Rashid-led Awami Itihad Party (AIP), calling it a “proxy with government’s protection”. The remark triggered sharp reactions, with AIP accusing the PDP of “helping the saffron agenda… which culminated in the abrogation of Article 370.’
Mufti while addressing the media a day after PDP’s candidate from Shopian, Yawar Banday, was injured during a scuffle between the workers of both parties questioned why the “attackers” weren’t put in jail.
“Engineer Rashid is in jail. Mufti [Mohammad Sayed, the founder of PDP] took 20 years to form a party and still we don’t have the resources to field candidates from place to place. Who is behind his [Er Rashid’s] organisation that everywhere his people are being fielded? Where is the money coming from and how do they dare to be involved in hooliganism?” she further questioned.
Notably, AIP has fielded Raja Waheed from the constituency.
Police on Sunday said a few people had sustained minor injuries in the scuffle. “Both parties have been reported for poll violations and the police have taken cognizance of the incident,” a statement from Shopian Police said.
While questioning the government, Mufti further said: “I want to ask the government if you raised Er Rashid’s party as a proxy when other proxy parties failed… and now helping him with a lot of money and other things, why not be straightforward about not wanting other parties to fight. What sort of hooliganism is this?”.
AIP president Engineer Rashid, who is in Tihar jail in connection with an alleged terror funding case, had scored a big win over former CM and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah from Baramulla in the Lok Sabha polls.
Buoyed by the win, the party has now fielded candidates in various parts of Kashmir and is expanding its base further including to south Kashmir, the base of PDP.
The party has taken exception to Mufti’s remarks, with spokesperson Firdous Baba saying it was the PDP who in 2019 helped the saffron agenda of BJP to bloom, which culminated in the abrogation of Article 370.
“PSP’s rise was possible due to boycotts in elections and they are frustrated with the rise of honest and suffering masses in politics and democratic arena of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, expressing dismay that the PDP leadership including Mufti having described BJP leadership as “mentors and brothers”.
“Now they have this epic level of hypocrisy to term honest, unbiased, pro-people AIP as something that we don’t believe in. NC and PDP, the proponents of boycott politics in Jammu and Kashmir and adhering to dynasty at every level are unnerved by entry of AIP-like force,” he said.