New Delhi: Ahead of the crucial Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) compared party leader Mushtaq Bukhari to ‘Mahamta Gandhi’ and ‘Nelson Mandela’. Praising Bukhari for his efforts, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh hailed him as a transformative leader for the Pahari community.
Chugh, while canvassing in Surankot, said that Bukhari has made efforts to bring 'freedom' to the Pahari community. Chugh is overseeing BJP's activities in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the assembly polls.
"The work that Mahatma Gandhi did can never be forgotten. No matter which party comes to power, people will never forget Nelson Mandela. Similarly, here, Bukhari Sahab, the Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela of the tribal community, has worked to bring them freedom," said Tarun Chugh.
Who is Mushtaq Bukhari?
Bukhari, a 75-year-old politician, had joined the BJP in 2022 after parting ways with the National Conference. Bukhari has been with the National Conference for nearly four decades, but left the party over an disagreement with Farooq Abdullah over Scheduled Tribe status to Pahari-speaking people.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina, along with other party leaders, had welcomed Bukhari and hundreds of his supporters, including former bureaucrat G M Khuwaja and retired senior superintendent of police Shabir Geelani, into the party fold.
After joining the BJP, Bukhari said, 'I have kept my promise of joining a party which fulfils our long-pending demand of ST status. I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Raina for doing justice with Paharis who have struggled for 40 long years for the ST status."
The BJP-led central government recently added four communities — Gadda Brahmin, Koli, Paddari Tribe and Pahari Ethnic group — to the list of Scheduled Tribes in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pahari community hold a significant influence in several constituencies across Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts.
Jammu and Kashmir Polls
The assembly polls will be conducted in three phases – on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The results of the polls will be announced on October 4, said the Election Commission. In the Union Territory, there are a total of 90 assembly constituencies, of which 74 are General, nine are ST and seven are SC.
This comes after the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024, in December last year.