File picture of CPI(M) leader Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The red flag of Kashmir’s lone communist party leader, M.Y. Tarigami, is for the first time facing a challenge from the banned green party Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI)-backed candidate Sayar Ahmad Reshi in south Kashmir’s Kulgam constituency.
Winning four Assembly elections in a row since 1996, 77-year-old Mr. Tarigami has stepped up his poll campaign and addressed 10 poll rallies on Tuesday. He is up against a formidable opponent in Mr. Reshi in spite of being a joint candidate of the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance in J&K. With the Jamaat boycotting elections for three decades, the main contest in Kulgam has been between the NC and the CPI(M). Unlike other parts of south Kashmir, the Kulgam constituency had been on a high graph of voter turnout and recorded 56.5% polling in the 2014 Assembly elections.
Without naming JeI, Mr. Tarigami took a metaphoric dig at Mr. Reshi in his speeches. “There is a new eagle in the market, which has already taken away chicks. People must protect their chicks as this eagle has a habit of snatching them away. The people of Kulgam should not forget that this eagle has allied with the big eagle, and they need to realize this sooner rather than later,” Mr. Tarigami said.
In his poll rallies, Mr. Tarigami questioned the JeI’s decision to field candidates and hinted at an under-the-table understanding between the government and the JeI, which was deemed an unlawful outfit in 2019 by the Centre under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He said, “Politics has nothing to do with religion, and it never did in the past, nor will it in the future. Some people who, until yesterday, called voting a sin, are today saying it is a virtuous act.”
Mr. Tarigami said he always raised his voice against “injustice and reminded everyone that Kashmiris have been betrayed”. “We must keep them in mind and give your support wisely,” he said.
Mr. Tarigami is also a spokesman of now defunct Peoples Alliance for the Gupkar Alliance (PAGD), an amalgam of J&K parties formed to fight for the restoration of the pre-August 5, 2019 position. He has hardened his position against the BJP’s moves in J&K after 2019.
The growing size of public rallies and door-to-door campaigns by 42-year-old Mr. Reshi have drifted the politics of Kulgam to the pre-1990 era. In 1987, Mr. Tarigami had lost to a candidate fielded by the Muslim United Front (MUF), an amalgam supported by the JeI.
With a doctorate in Political Science, Mr. Reshi’s service as an educator in educational institutes has earned him the sobriquet of ‘Sayar Sir’. He was also the assistant director of the Falah Aam Trust (FAT), an arm of the JeI that runs educational institutes, offering modern education, across J&K. However, these schools were taken over by the government after the ban on JeI.
“My political goal is development with dignity. I want to see a library in every village, where our youth will prepare for competitive examinations and could be turned away from rampant abuse of drugs in Kulgam. Also, there is a mafia at every level and fund allocation is done based on a few individuals. We want better schools, hospitals and cold storage units for our fruits,” Mr. Reshi said. Kulgam is also an apple belt of south Kashmir and it is the harvest season now.
On the sudden change of heart on contesting elections, Mr. Reshi said the JeI was “never opposed to participation in elections”. “Boycotting elections was the call of the Hurriyat. But the restlessness of people has motivated me to fight elections again,” Mr. Reshi said.
He blamed the NC for the situation Kashmir has landed in. “The NC is responsible for eroding faith in democracy because of rigging (of polls). This party presided over hollowing out of Article 370. I am for the immediate restoration of Statehood and securities guaranteed under Article 370,” Mr. Reshi said.
The leaders of the banned JeI have coined terms to connect with the voters of Kulgam. They say they won’t shy away from raising the issue of ‘zulm’ (oppression), political prisoners and persecution of youth by the security agencies. “However, we will also defend the Constitution,” a supporter of Mr. Reshi said.
Seeking a dialogue between stakeholders over the larger question of Kashmir, Mr. Reshi said the JeI was the “real representative and real stakeholders”. “We have a thinking class with us. We are not against democracy or the Constitution. No one could be better citizens than us. We are for establishing peace in J&K,” Mr. Reshi said.
The red versus green is a rare battle on the electoral map of Kashmir, where regional forces dominate the political landscape. Kulgam will go to polls in the first phase of J&K elections on September 18.
Published – September 11, 2024 10:46 pm IST