Sheikh Rashid's party proxy of BJP, claims Mehbooba Mufti

ANANTNAG: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday accused jailed MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid's Awami Ittehad Party of being a proxy of the BJP, and warned the people of Jammu and Kashmir not to come under the influence of such parties. Her remarks came a day after PDP candidate from south Kashmir's Shopian assembly segment Yawar Shafi Banday was injured in an alleged attack by the workers of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), which is led by Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, in Balpora area of Shopian.

"Our candidate was going to his constituency, some workers associated with AIP assaulted them, even our candidate Yawar Banday was beaten and he is fighting for his life, his ribs broken, his condition is serious," Mehbooba claimed while addressing a press conference in Khanabal area of Anantnag district.

Rashid defeated former chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency earlier this year.

The PDP chief questioned how the AIP was organising resources and candidates when their chief was behind the bars.

"I want to know that Rashid is in jail. (PDP founder) Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) took 50 years to form the party, we still do not have resources to field candidates everywhere. Who is behind his (Engineer's) organisation as their candidates are fielded everywhere, wherefrom is the funding coming? Wherefrom are they getting such courage to engage in hooliganism?" she added.

The former chief minister alleged that the government has come up with new proxy parties like the AIP.

"I want to ask the government, if you have again come up a proxy party, Engineer Rashid's party, when all your other proxy parties have failed, you have brought Engineer Rashid's party to the fore, and you are supporting them fully with funds and everything, then tell us clearly that others parties do not have to contest elections," she said.

The PDP chief alleged her party is being targeted everywhere.

"Had PDP workers done such a thing, the whole PDP would have been in jail. How did the AIP workers have the courage to attack our workers? Why has there been no action on them till yet? Why are they not in jail yet?" she questioned.

She warned the people of Jammu and Kashmir not to come under the influence of the proxy parties.

"There is a huge power behind them who wants to divide the vote in Kashmir. The PDP is particularly on their target, they know PDP is the only party which stood for the people of Kashmir.

"All these parties in the guise of independent candidates, in the guise of AIP, they are certainly getting funding from somewhere. Wherefrom are they getting such resources? The people have to think about it," she said.

She alleged when the other 'proxy' parties failed in the Parliamentary elections, the government came up with new "proxy parties".

"They broke the PDP and made several proxy parties, but when their other proxy parties failed in the Parliamentary elections, they have now brought Engineer Rashid's party. So, I warn the people of Kashmir that all the other parties than the PDP, NC and Congress, are backed by some power, including Rashid's party. They want to harm the cause of J-K," she added.

On a question about former Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Waqar Rasool Wani's reported remarks that NC has "sucked the blood" of the people, she said the alliance between the NC and Congress is not based on principles.

"I have already said the alliances is not based on principles. Had it been, they would not have pushed J-K into a river of blood to form the government after rigging the elections in 1987," she said

"They can go to any extent to from the government, they do not have any principles. The NC has fielded independent candidates against Congress everywhere," she said.
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