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Naeem aKhter
Senior PDP leaDer
‘Mainstream politics in

Kashmir has lost credibility’

Kashmir has witnessed just around 20 per cent people exercising their franchise mainstream parties. They think if we
in general elections. This is being seen as yet another proof of the growing are also suspect, we are also in the
marginalization of the mainstream political parties in the state. But the party that firing line of the state of India why
appears most discredited is the PDP. It’s disastrous alliance with the BJP has driven it should they vote for us.
to the margins of Kashmir’s political discourse. The PDP now doesn’t shy away from So, this realization has been a fac-
admitting its mistakes. tor in the low participation in the polls.
In an interview to Tehelka, the party’s senior leader Naeem akhter blamed the If there was a disenchantment
Prime Minister Narendra Modi for cheating his party by first committing himself to the with the PDP as there is with any ruling
Agenda of Alliance and subsequently going back “on every word of it”. He criticised party because of the anti-incumbency
the BJP for trying to break the PDP, taking away its leaders and floating new political factor, the voters could have come
parties in the state. out and punished us by voting for
ediTed excerpTs from an inTerview • our adversary. But this has not
happened. Our adversaries are appar-
Has the PDP’s alliance with BJP since it was a right-wing party, it ently more discredited. That is why
proved very costly for the party? would give more concessions than any this zero participation at so many
The fractured mandate in 2014 As- other party could. As Imran Khan places.
sembly election forced us to ally with is hoping now. But they did quite
the BJP. But our leader the late Mufti the reverse. The PDP found itself Hasn’t Kashmir witnessed much of
Muhammad Sayeed thought he could cheated by Mr Modi. Like so many an election campaigning?
perhaps make a virtue out of an adver- others. This resulted in loss of cred- You have normal structure of cam-
sity. The BJP got almost as many seats ibility not just for the PDP but for paigning in the Valley. We held rallies.
from Jammu as the PDP did from the the entire political mainstream in But this time rallies were also fewer
Valley. And Mufti sahib saw an opportu- Kashmir which believes in Kashmir and far between with much less at-
nity to create a rapport between Kash- being a part of India and are the follow- tendance. There were many rallies in
mir, Jammu and New Delhi, completing ers of India’s Constitution. This has cost North and central Kashmir. But far
the triangle. us quite a bit. fewer in South Kashmir. Largest rally
Modi looked more than willing to will invite 3000 attendance and small-
walk the distance with us. He gave it But now your party is also being er rallies around 300 to 400. Besides,
in writing which became our agenda targeted by the BJP. there was door to door campaigning.
of alliance. Like his own agenda at Yes, the BJP has tried to demolish our There were meetings in somebody’s
the national level, it was like a manifes- party, helped float new political outfits home, in somebody’s balcony. There
to for Jammu and Kashmir. But he went and also tried to take away our lead- was no publicity material, no post-
back on every word that was written ers. So, Modi is not only not addressing ers, hardly any flags. If we were more
in it. the sentiment of separatism in Kash- visible, it could also invite the wrath
mir, but also trying to demolish of militants.
Was the PDP-BJP alliance not whosoever is already with Constitution
welcome as an idea in Kashmir? of India. Those who accept the real- What do you think has led to this
True. But we thought since we had ity of J&K’s accession to India. His first deep disillusionment with your
struck a deal with a strong party and priority is now to go after the PDP, go politics?
a strong Prime Minister who had a after the NC. This in turn has further People don’t really expect us much
very large mandate. Also we thought reduced the trust of people in the to do. They don’t expect the political

tehelka / 31 may 2019 36 www.tehelka.com