People's Democracy

J&K: Separatists Gang Up Against CPI(M)

O N Trisal

THE separatists in Jammu & Kashmir, who pleaded vigorously for a poll boycott in the valley, directed most of their energies and resources against the Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary and the Party candidate in Anantnag-Pulwama Lok Sabha constituency, Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami. It was almost like they had a special target here. All the top leaders of Hurriyat, JKLF, DFP etc. made daily visits to the areas which evidently supported the CPI(M). Many activists, including militants, were stationed there to frighten the voters, even while trying to rouse passions.

As is known Anantnag-Pulwama constituency witnessed a triangular contest between Tarigami, The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference candidate. The CPI(M) has won two assembly segments in this constituency, including Tarigami’s sitting seat.

The separatists, with the help of militants, even told the voters to vote for the PDP candidate but not the CPI(M) – if at all they could not avoid exercising their franchise. Admittedly, this terror campaign kept away a large number of CPI(M) supporters from casting their votes. All this resulted in a very low voter turnout of 16 per cent.

On the polling day, the ruling PDP did not hesitate to employ the state administration to rig the polls. This included booth capturing at various polling stations. At a number of places even the state ministers entered the booths throwing out the polling agents of other parties and cast votes in favour of the PDP candidate. Such a course is a sad commentary on the ruling parties. This will certainly further alienate the common man from the mainstream.

APPEASING SEPARATISTS

The National Conference, which had suffered a humiliating defeat in 2002 assembly elections, chose to appease the separatist lobby during the campaigning in its bid to divert attention from its failures in addressing the problems of the people during its long rule.

The ruling PDP did not hesitate to follow the same path. Both claim to be the regional outfits, while faithfully following the dictates of Delhi. The PDP all of a sudden took the posture of an ardent admirer of Hizb-Ul-Mujahidin through out the campaign period. Its candidate sported green cap and a green coat and so did her companions, as she marched along the roads of Uri, giving the impression that the Rawalpindi Road had been opened by her. Unfortunately, this exercise resulted in tragic loss of twelve precious lives of innocent persons. This party did not feel any compunction to put up large hoardings throughout the valley indicating the distance upto Muzzafarabad with bold markings “through the courtesy of PDP”. The party gave an impression that these elections were a referendum on Kashmir and not a simple Lok Sabha election. Curiously enough, the PDP omitted to mention the pitiable condition of the roads inside the state and its failure to fulfil the promises made to the people in the 2002 assembly elections.

The state CPI(M) while trying its best to expose these sordid happenings, has, however, felt an urgent need to analyse the causes responsible for such a low voter turnout in this constituency. The Party decided that this analysis must be based on an in-depth study, to be carried out in the coming days.

CPI(M) CAMPAIGN

Though the CPI(M) campaign in the Anantnag-Pulwama constituency began quite late, it gained momentum quickly with good response coming from the youth, students, peasants and the low-paid employees who form a majority of the electorate here. Despite 14 candidates in the fray, the real contest was among the NC, the PDP and the CPI(M).

The CPI(M) candidate, Tarigami addressed largely attended public meetings in almost every major town in the constituency, which consisted of 16 assembly segments and an electorate of 9,98,910 people. These meetings were extensively covered by the electronic media and the press. In keeping with the Party aim of using this contest to effectively put forward its stand on solving Kashmir problem, Tarigami as well as other activists of the Party visited far-flung areas of the constituency, addressing hundreds of small and big election meetings. Thousands of leaflets, pamphlets and appeals (in Urdu) were distributed and countless posters pasted throughout the length and breadth of this sprawling constituency.

Tarigami, already a well known political personality in the state and considered a formidable candidate, was heard with rapt attention wherever he went to canvass. The tremendous amount of goodwill among the people of the constituency was palpable.

Among the host of issues, the Party focussed on the continuing bloodshed in the state and the human rights violations which had plunged the people of the state into an immense human tragedy. It strongly advocated for a peaceful, amicable solution of the complex Kashmir tangle through a comprehensive dialogue process, encompassing all shades of opinion, both internally and externally.

The Party also highlighted the burning problems facing the common man – growing number of jobless degree-holders, the crisis in agriculture particularly in fruit industry which was ruining lakhs of peasants, the neglect of handicrafts and the indigenous industry, the utter neglect of basic minimum amenities like drinking water, sanitation, health and roads etc. It was made clear that all this was a result of the disastrous economic policies being pursued by both the central and state government at the dictates of the World Bank and IMF. The indifferent and corrupt nature of the state administration was also highlighted.

The Party recalled its struggles to foster friendship with the people of the developing world which faced the onslaught of world imperialism. It reminded the people that the CPI(M) had resolutely and valiantly demonstrated its solidarity with the people of Palestine in their fight against Israeli atrocities, and with the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, who were engaged in a life and death struggle against US-British imperialism. It also highlighted the Party’s struggles against Hindutva forces who had committed heinous crimes against minorities in Gujarat. It exposed the role of the BJP-led NDA government at the centre, which was out to demolish the secular character of the country. During the campaign a fervent appeal was made for strengthening the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan and making Jammu & Kashmir into a bridge of friendship and understanding between the two countries instead of a cause of confrontation. The Party held the ruling parties at the centre and the state responsible for the present chaos in which the state had been pushed into.