“To Raise Our Voices”: Banned Jamaat Leader On Fighting J&K Polls

Ghulam Qadir Lone of banned Jamaat-e-Islami on Monday said that they decided to participate in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections to “raise their voices”. Speaking to NDTV, Mr Lone, a member of the central committee and ex-general secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islamia, they are fighting the polls so that the ban imposed on them can be lifted. 

The organisation cannot take part in the elections due to the ban imposed on it by the Union home ministry. It has not taken part in any elections since 1987.

“We have not done anything which is against the law and always carried out our activities within the framework of an Indian constitution. So when the Centre decided to impose a ban on us, we were surprised as to how in a democratic nation this happened. So we decided to participate in elections to raise our voice,” Ghulam Qadir Lone told NDTV.

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The Jamaat had moved an application before the Election Commission of India for registration of their party name – Jammu Kashmir Justice and Development Front – but when their ban was ratified, they decided to fight elections as Independents.

“We want our candidates to work for people. They should raise their voices on the ban imposed on us and also work at ground level,” Mr Lone said.

On Jamaat Being Called BJP’s “Proxy”

On being asked why most political parties have been saying that Jamaat is acting as a “proxy” of the BJP, Ghulam Qadir Lone said this was incorrect. 

“We are always asked that we are with BJP. In 1964, people used to say don’t get associated with Congress and boycott them but today everyone feels proud to be associated with Congress. I just feel that our candidates should go to the people and work for them and not act like leaders. Then no party can be established in these areas including the BJP. If leaders decided to get into frivolous politics, then the BJP will automatically get successful,” he said.

He also spoke on the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) saying that they would have accommodated Jamaat candidates if the outfit’s leadership had approached Ms Mufti.

“We do not want any “inayat” (support) from the PDP. I can say many things but I don’t want to. All I can say is if they wanted to do something for us, they could have done it earlier. Now what can they do,” he said.

He also countered the claim of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah-led National Conference which said that Jamaat was responsible for the bloodshed in the Valley. 

“We did not shed any blood. I want to ask Omar Abdullah who propped up “rai shumari” who said I don’t want India or Pakistan. I will ask Omar to look within,” he said.

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“We always believed in the Constitution. We filled in affidavits and swore by the Constitution whenever we participated in elections, Mr Lone said.

On Jamaat Leaders Fighting J&K Polls

Four former Jamaat leaders are contesting the Jammu and Kashmir elections, which are taking place for the first in 10 years. The Jamaat leaders are fighting from the assembly seats in Pulwama, Kulgam, Devsar, and Zanipura. 

“We decided to field four candidates only due to financial limits also. Moreover, our candidates should also have grass-root support and should believe in our ideology,” Gulam Qadir Lone told NDTV.

Talat Majeed, the former ameer (chief) of Jamaat who filed his nomination papers from the Pulwama constituency as an independent candidate, also spoke to NDTV.

“We will only say what we can do. Some parties have raised the issue of Article 370 again but then their leaders only say it will take 100 years to restore it. I want to ask if it will take 100 years then why are you raising this issue these elections,” Mr Majeed said.

Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated by the Narendra Modi government on August 5, 2019, and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two UTs – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Sayar Ahmad Reshi, another former Jamaat leader who is also contesting the elections from the Kulgam Assembly seat, told NDTV that unemployment and drugs are two main issues concerning youngsters. 

“We hope to work on both these issues,” he said.

Assembly polls are being held in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370. They will be held in three phases from September 18 to October 1 and the counting of votes will take place on October 4.