Decode Politics: Why BJP has expelled a Poonch leader over a ‘hate speech’

Even before the Election Commission took up the matter, the BJP Tuesday expelled a senior party leader, Satish Bhargav, for making a “hate speech” during the poll campaign in border Poonch district’s Mendhar town against some Pahari leaders owing allegiance to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference. The PDP has approached the EC on the issue.

Bhargav was holding a campaign in relation to the Lok Sabha election for Anantnag-Rajouri, a constituency that, after delimitation, includes large portions of both Kashmir and Jammu regions. Polling for the seat, due on May 7, has been deferred to May 25 on account of bad weather in the region.

The BJP is not contesting in any of the Kashmir constituencies, including Anantnag-Rajouri. Then why did the BJP act with such alacrity against Bhargav?

The spokesperson of the BJP’s Pahari Cell, Bhargav was addressing party workers at the office of District Development Council member Wajid Bashir Tikoo on Tuesday, when he warned Pahari leaders seen as supporting the NC and PDP in the coming polls to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP state president Ravinder Raina.

Bhargav reminded Paharis that the Modi government had kept its promise of including them in the list of Scheduled Tribes, and then said: “Remember, there will come many occasions and you may be given wounds like the ones we got during 1947, which we have not been able to forget so far.”

Days after Independence in August 1947, when Jammu and Kashmir ruler Maharaja Hari Singh was yet to decide whether to go with India or Pakistan, the latter had sent tribals and troops into J&K. They soon overran vast areas, including Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Bhimber, Gilgit, Skardu etc, killing