‘Choosing the lesser evil’: Congress allies defend its Udhampur-Doda choice

WITH THE CONGRESS having fielded the controversial Choudhary Lal Singh, who had publicly supported the accused in the 2018 gang rape and murder of a minor Bakerwal girl in Kathua, from Udhampur-Doda, its allies have been forced to go back on their criticism of him.

The Congress, which had demanded stern action against the Kathua accused at the time, reinducted Lal Singh into its fold last month before giving him a ticket from Udhampur, a seat Lal Singh has won in the past. The party apparently wavered over the issue, finally giving in as it could not find any other winnable candidate.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose president Mehbooba Mufti as the chief minister in 2018 had got her then ally BJP to drop Lal Singh from her Cabinet over his stance in the case, is campaigning for him now.

The same goes for the National Conference (NC), whose leader Omar Abdullah only last year opposed Lal Singh’s bid to join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in its J&K leg, warning the Congress that some people might try to use the Yatra to “whitewash their past”. “We have not forgotten the role played by those leaders who tried to save the (Kathua) rapists,’’ Omar had then told reporters.

Asked about the Congress fielding Lal Singh now, NC spokesperson Imran Dar said, “It is the Congress’s decision… Our stand is very clear. Like the Congress cannot dictate to us whom to field, we cannot question their candidate selection.’’

Dar added: “There are two evils and we have to choose the lesser evil for a bigger fight now. At present, we have to defeat the BJP.”

PDP spokesperson Firdous Tak also argued the same: “We have to see a larger and a broader objective at the moment… We are not supporting Lal Singh, but the idea of India, which we