Election on mind, parties begin to woo voters in Jammu

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, August 21

Amid the murmurs about Assembly polls that are likely to be held by the end of this year or early next year, several political parties, including those from Kashmir, these days are busy wooing the people of Jammu, especially the Dogra community. The abrogation of Article 370 had almost ceased the political activity in the Union Territory.

The political competition in Jammu, after the entry of Aam Aadmi Party, has already increased and the parties are leaving no stone unturned to make their presence felt.

Besides demanding restoration of historical sites associated with the Dogra rulers of J&K, Kashmir-based Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari has several times talked about and asked the government for protecting the interests of the business community of Jammu.

During a recent public rally in Janipur of Jammu, Bukhari said, “When we come to Jammu from Kashmir, we get a sigh of relief as Jammu continues to accommodate people who have been displaced from Kashmir due to militancy in the last 32 years. Jammu people stood up like a rock for their Kashmiri brothers. Jammu rose up as a symbol of humanity and secularism when the whole of Kashmir was burning.”

Bukhari also said that when Kashmiri people were being looked upon with suspicion due to militancy in the Valley, Dogras did not discriminate against them and they always treated them like brothers.

AAP that has also started its activities aggressively in Jammu is aware of the strong BJP presence in the region. The BJP had won 25 seats in the last Assembly polls in 2014 after which the saffron party aligned with the PDP.

Taranjit Singh Tony, senior AAP leader, criticised the Centre for unemployment among the youth in Jammu. “The Centre has humiliated the Dogras of Jammu by dismantling the state of J&K that was made up bit by bit by the Dogra rulers. Now they (Central Government) are not even able to provide employment and basic facilities to the people of Jammu.”

Ankur Sharma, chief of the newly formed IkkJutt Jammu, demands Jammu as a separate state, an issue that has remained an agenda of the RSS for years.

According to Sharma, secessionist elements have been trying to make a stronghold in the Dogra heartland. “The reforms post August 5, 2019 have not shown desired results. Separation of Jammu from Kashmir is the only solution to save the region from secessionist elements,” he said.

Members of the Dogra community are found mostly in Jammu, parts of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

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