Not Article 370 or similar issues, Jamaat candidates are talking women empowerment, jobs

Ganaie is an Independent campaigner backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami, oregon alternatively the faction of it that is talking with the Centre and has decided to contention the Assembly elections. The Jamaat is backing 10 candidates successful the J&K elections, and Ganaie is the lone 1 whose constituency is going to polls successful the 2nd signifier connected September 25.

The past MLA from the spot was National Conference vice-president and erstwhile main curate Omar Abdullah, and among the 12 candidates successful the fray is jailed separatist person Sarjan Barkati.

Vote stock successful Beerwah Assembly constituency successful 2014

Amid allegations levelled against the Jamaat by its opponents of being BJP “proxy”, similar those made against its recently recovered “strategic ally” Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) of Engineer Rashid, Ganaie steers wide of governmental issues altogether, including Article 370 oregon merchandise of prisoners, oregon adjacent a request for lifting of the prohibition connected the Jamaat.

In fact, from South Kashmir to North, Jamaat-backed candidates person shied distant from talking astir the Kashmir dispute, which erstwhile formed the halfway of the Jamaat’s ideology. Instead, their run has revolved astir women empowerment, unemployment, cause menace and different specified issues – sounding similar immoderate different mainstream party.

Shamim Ahmad Thoker, ‘Chief Election In-Charge’ of the Jamaat panel, says determination is thing astonishing astir that. “All our candidates are contesting arsenic Independents. So they are raising the contiguous issues of their constituencies,” helium says. “Issues similar solution of the Kashmir problem, Article 370 oregon the merchandise of (political) prisoners are argumentation decisions, and lone a enactment tin speech astir them.”

Thoker adds that Ghulam Qadir Wani, the Jamaat sheet chief, has so been talking astir these issues.

Ganaie repeats the aforesaid argument. “I can’t speech astir (these issues). Only the enactment can… As a candidate, I person to rise the section issues of my constituency. As a preacher, radical travel to maine with their problems, women empowerment is 1 of them. Then determination are different issues that unit 1 to contention elections. There is cause addiction, liquor, suicides… There are authorities schemes, but their benefits don’t scope the poor. We are present due to the fact that determination is simply a enactment vacuum.”

Ganaie’s manifesto besides makes nary notation of the scrapping of peculiar presumption oregon solution to the Kashmir issue. However, it does rise issues of individuality and adjacent rights, which prevarication astatine the halfway of the Kashmir quality for many.

Ganaie says that though the candidates determine the section issues they privation to item successful their manifestos, the Jamaat sheet guides them if proposal is sought. “If we are soundless (on immoderate issues),” Ganaie smiles, “silence besides means something.”

The lone cadre-based enactment successful the Valley aft the National Conference, the Jamaat was banned 5 years agone by the Centre nether the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). With the prohibition inactive successful place, contempt its entreaty to the government, the archetypal task for it aft it decided to contention the elections was reviving its web of workers.

That this has been hard is wide from Ganaie’s campaign, with the bare Sikanderpora colony being conscionable 1 example. On Sunday, a Ganaie rally astatine Magam failed to pull galore people, contempt elder sheet members being successful attendance.

More than rallies, Ganaie relies connected a door-to-door campaign, and has been holding indoor meetings and roadshows. His run conveyance – a tiny car bare of nary publicity worldly – has nary euphony oregon loudspeakers.

Barring Kulgam, wherever Jamaat-backed Sayar Ahmad Reshi is seen arsenic giving a stiff contention to CPI(M) person M Y Tarigami, this is the story, successful fact, of each Jamaat candidates.

A erstwhile Jamaat subordinate says this is owed to the divisions wrong the outfit. “There is simply a batch of disorder astir the determination taken to contention the elections. A soundless bulk is inactive successful a dilemma and staying away. That’s the crushed Jamaat candidates are not getting the nationalist enactment they expected.”

Ganaie counters this, saying the sheet takes each determination aft thorough discussions and with the backing of the enforcement assembly oregon Shura. “There are nary unilateral decisions taken by anyone.”

In Beerwah, Ganaie tin usage each the assistance helium gets, fixed the multi-corner contention and the beingness of Barkati, the look of the protests pursuing the sidesplitting of Burhan Wani, arsenic good arsenic Engineer Rashid’s party’s Nazir Ahmad Khan. In the 2014 Assembly elections, Khan had fixed a pugnacious combat to Omar successful Beerwah, with the NC person scraping done by conscionable 910 votes.

The NC has fielded Dr Shafi Ahmad, who is besides a erstwhile MLA, having represented Beerwah successful 2008 arsenic a PDP legislator.

In the caller Lok Sabha elections, the Baramulla spot nether which Beerwah falls was won by Engineer Rashid, defeating Omar arsenic good arsenic People’s Conference person Sajad Lone. In the Beerwah Assembly segment, Rashid led Omar by 5,000 votes.

It has been 16 years since Ganaie got associated with Jamaat, agelong aft it stopped contesting elections. He formally joined the socio-political organisation successful 2012, astatine the property of 22. Now 34, helium says: “The Jamaat I cognize is simply a peaceful organisation, antiauthoritarian and reformist. Their crushed enactment successful acquisition impressed me.”

A nonmigratory of Sozeith colony connected the outskirts of Srinagar, Ganaie has been starring Friday prayers successful the expansive mosque of his country for six years. According to him, it is what helium saw and heard determination that motivated him to articulation electoral politics. “As a preacher, if I archer idiosyncratic to basal up for the radical and their rights, it is amended that I basal up myself. That is wherefore I decided to articulation the predetermination process.”

Ganaie doesn’t spot a contradiction successful the Jamaat, which erstwhile advocated boycotting elections and has stayed distant from the process for astir 4 decades, changing its caput now.

Says Ganaie: “The Jamaat didn’t enactment distant from politics. It stayed distant from lone elections due to the fact that of definite grievances. (But) The 2024 parliamentary elections person fixed america anticipation that determination volition beryllium nary rigging, and that is wherefore we are here. We privation to enactment wrong the strategy and item issues.”