For Kashmiri Pandits contesting J-K polls, community’s rehabilitation, livelihood issues top agenda

With conscionable these fewer words, Dembi moves connected to the adjacent person, a timber seller. “Ba osus tuhai paetkin rozan, mei ous matamaal yei (I utilized to unrecorded conscionable down your house. My maternal location stood here),” helium tells him. The duo speech a fewer words and telephone numbers earlier Dembi moves connected to the adjacent shop.

Dembi, the campaigner of the Sampoorna Bharat Kranti Party is 1 of the 4 Kashmiri Pandits among 12 candidates who are trying their luck from the Habbakadal Assembly seat, which is location to astir 20,000 voters of the assemblage – the highest successful the erstwhile authorities – mostly surviving extracurricular Kashmir. A full of 12 candidates from the assemblage are successful the fray for the upcoming polls, up from the 8 Kashmiri Pandits who contested the 2014 Assembly elections.

Since 1962, Habbakadal, presently represented by Shameema Firdous of the National Conference (NC), has elected members of the assemblage 5 times – Durga Prasad Dhar of Congress successful 1962, S K Kaul of Congress successful 1996, Pyare Lal Handoo of NC successful 1987 and 1996, and Raman Mattoo, an Independent successful 2002. However, it is the archetypal clip since 1990 that 4 Kashmiri Pandits are successful the fray from the spot aft the nominations of 2 candidates were rejected.

The 60-year-old Dembi, who was antecedently associated with the BJP, grabbed the spotlight successful 2019 aft helium removed the signboard of the Hurriyat from its bureau successful Srinagar’s Rajbagh. However, helium present claims his erstwhile enactment believes successful “use and throw” and is retired to “destroy them”.

“I privation to instrumentality up the contented of alleviation and rehabilitation of the community, I privation jobs for younker and privation to instrumentality up issues of the mediocre and downtrodden,” helium says. This, according to Dembi, volition not beryllium imaginable if Hindu and Muslims are against each other. “A Hindu is incomplete without a Muslim and vice-versa. This is my slogan and this is what I archer radical here,” helium says.

Away from Habbakadal successful Beerwah, Dr Sanjay Parva is successful the fray arsenic an Independent. Originally hailing from Pattan, Parva near his aesculapian signifier and took the governmental plunge owed to his “love for the homeland”.

“I person seen the issues of radical are being overlooked, particularly successful Beerwah. While the satellite has moved forward, radical present bash not adjacent person basal amenities,” helium says.

During his campaign, Parva touches upon issues affecting people’s regular lives alternatively than invoking large issues. “My issues for this predetermination are water, constrictive roads, unmaintained bridges, streetlights and nationalist toilets,” helium says and claims helium listens to the people, “who privation to beryllium heard”.

In Rajpora of South Kashmir, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) campaigner Arun Kumar Raina, who primitively hails from Pulwama but has been surviving successful the Valley for the past 3 years, is besides focussed connected providing jobs and rehabilitating members of his community.

“I bash not delve into the Hindu-Muslim oregon Pandit-Muslim narrative. I person seen highly educated radical enactment arsenic thoroughfare vendors successful the Valley arsenic determination are nary jobs. On the different hand, little fiscal assistance which my assemblage has got is besides an issue,” helium says.

With much than 2 Kashmiri Pandits successful the fray connected galore seats – 4 successful Habbakadal and 2 each from Shangus of Anantnag and Rajpora – Dembi believes it is simply a ploy to divided the assemblage votes though helium stops abbreviated of elaborating.

“Why would Sajay (Saraf) ji of the Lok Janshakti Party contention from Habbakadal erstwhile helium is besides contesting from Anantnag. It is meant to disagreement votes,” helium says.