Pulwama, May 01: Grassroots leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have rallied people to cast their votes against dynastic political parties in the ongoing parliamentary elections.
During a roadshow in Pulwama on Wednesday, BJP leaders Arshad Bhat and Sajid Raina reiterated their call to boycott the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference (NC) in the elections.
Speaking to the media persons, Bhat said, “Both the PDP and NC lack legitimacy to discuss laws like AFSPA and POTA as these laws were implemented during their tenures in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Arshad highlighted the suffering of Kashmiri youth, particularly in Pulwama, due to what he described as the “dirty politics” of the PDP. He accused both parties of undermining peace in the region.
The BJP leader further said that the Home Minister of India had appealed to voters to reject the three dynastic political parties, a message they want to convey to the people.
Asserting their impartiality, Bhat said they were not campaigning for any particular party or candidate. Instead, we urge voters to consider independent candidates or candidates from parties other than the PDP and NC, he said.
He said the slogans recently raised by the leader of a political party have the potential to disrupt peace in Jammu and Kashmir. We countered the slogans in a respectful manner during the roadshow, he said.
In addition to their political appeals, the BJP leaders advocated for a softer approach from the Central government and the Lieutenant Governor concerning CID verification reports.
They said while they supported severe punishment for those directly involved in anti-national activities, they called for a reconsideration of cases involving youth who had become unwitting victims.
Arshad stressed the importance of addressing feelings of alienation among youth to foster a sense of inclusion and unity within the region.
