Revanth Reddy visits Thota Pawan in the hospital (Photo: Twitter)
Hyderabad: A Telangana Youth Congres leader was attacked and left bloodied allegedly by members of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Warangal on Monday.
Following the incident, the TYC leader, Thota Pawan was admitted to a hospital in the district but was shifted to Hyderabad for better care.
Telangana Congress president Revanth Reddy on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Warangal police commissioner, A V Ranganath against the attack on Pawan.
Revath alleged that the Congress youth leader Thota Pawan was brutally attacked by BRS MLA Vinay Bhaskar’s goons. He alleged that the goons were Ganja addicts.
On Tuesday, the police detained the Congress party activists who were trying to stage a protest in front of the Telangana State Police Headquarters, Lakdikapul, against the attack on Thota Pawan by the BRS party members.
Congress activists being detained by police in front of police Headquarters
While speaking to the media, Revanth alleged that the BRS leaders are trying to organize Ganja addicts into gangs and use them to attack opposition leaders to win the upcoming elections.
He said that the police must investigate the people who attacked Thota Pawan for drugs including Ganja.
Revanth visited the Congress leader in the hospital and examined the injuries suffered by him in the attack. “Congress party vows to stand by Pawan and his family,” he said in a tweet.
Visited Youth Congress soldier Thota Pawan who was seriously injured in the inhuman brutal attack by BRS MLA Vinay Bhaskar’s goons last night.
DOT also highlighted a rule in the works to require a minimum train crew of two people, which industry has opposed, and pledged to spend resources from the 2021 infrastructure law that can be spent on rail safety improvements.
DOT also wants railroads to give state authorities a heads-up when hazardous gas tank cars will be passing through. DOT said it’s also working on requiring this through regulation, “but railroads should not wait.”
The department is asking the railroads — including but not limited to Norfolk Southern — to do the following:
— Proactively let state emergency response teams know when they are transporting tank cars with hazardous gases through their states;
— Join FRA’s whistleblower protection program, which many smaller railroads and passenger railroads participate in but which the major freights do not;
— Deploy automated track inspection technology without asking to get rid of human inspectors;
— Move up the phase-in of safer, more durable tank cars that railroads had lobbied to delay until 2029, currently slated for 2025; and
— Provide workers paid sick leave, the unfinished business of the resolution of the strike threat last year.
What DOT wants from Congress: DOT called on Congress to increase maximum fines for rail safety violations from the current $225,455 cap, which the agency called “a rounding error” for profitable companies.
In a letter Sunday to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, Pete Buttigieg noted the railroad’s “exceptionally profitable business,” running a 38 percent operating margin and issuing $18 billion in stock buybacks and dividends over the last five years — “reportedly twice as much as the amount Norfolk Southern invested in its railways and operations.”
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
New Delhi: After senior Congress leader and party spokesperson Pawan Khera could not spell Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name, the BJP has termed it as a “insult to the Prime Minister and his father”.
The BJP has planned a protest on Tuesday at 10 Janpath.
Khera while addressing a press conference could not spell properly the PM’s name but later clarified that he got confused. But now a complaint has been filed in Lucknow and the BJP will protest against him.
Congress Media department chairman Pawan Khera said, “We also have governments in some states, some of the governments are going to be formed in states and the season is changing… 2024 is also approaching.”
“I want to give one suggestion to ED officers, who have become tools in the hands of the government, that time changes fast.”
Warning the officials and the BJP, Khera said, “We have governments in states… we can also do something, but our decency should be considered as ornaments not weakness.”
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that party will not be cowed down by these tactics and the plenary will go on as per schedule.
Three days ahead of Congress plenary session in Raipur, the Enforcement Directorate on Monday was conducting raids at multiple locations across Chhattisgarh in connection with the coal mining case.
New Delhi: Congress’ Delhi unit President Chaudhary Anil Kumar on Sunday said that it was shocking that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has allowed Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to evade its summons for questioning on his claim that he was busy with the Budget.
He alleged that giving one week time will allow Sisodia to tamper with evidence, adding that the CBI has reportedly collected damning evidence against him in the multi crores scam after questioning his Personal Secretary and he should not have been allowed to evade questioning.
“Why did the Kejriwal Government scrap the new liquor policy as soon as the Lt. Governor ordered a probe into the liquor scam on a Delhi Congress complaint if there was no corruption and irregularities in the implementation of the revised liquor policy in which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the mastermind?” Anil Kumar asked.
If Minister Satyender Jain could be denied bail for a money laundering case for nearly a year, how could the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate allow Sisodia to roam freely as he has committed fraud to the tune of thousands of crores, he added.
The Congress has demanded Sisodia resign or else he should be sacked as Minister till he gets a clean chit.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. (File Photo)
Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray claimed the Shiv Sena had rotted during its 25-year alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, while it has been decimated in its two-and-half-year alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis quipped on Sunday.
Speaking at a ‘Vijay Sankalp’ rally in Kolhapur in the presence of Union Home Minister and senior colleague Amit Shah, he said the “traitors” had been taught a lesson and shown their place six months ago, apparently a reference to the split in the Shiv Sena, which brought down the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Taking a swipe at Thackeray, the deputy CM said, “Those who said they rotted in the 25-year alliance with the BJP have now seen their party finished in two-and-half years after joining hands with the NCP, Congress (to form the Maha Vikas Aghdi post the 2019 Assembly poll results). They have been brought to the streets.”
In an apparent attack on Thackeray’s repeated utterances that the party was founded by his father late Bal Thackeray, who groomed its leaders, Fadnavis said “the Shiv Sena cannot be a property”.
“It is a school of thought. There can be a heir to a property or to some assets but not for thoughts. You have to put them in action and live up to these thoughts,” Fadnavis said.
SRINAGAR: Former All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Rahul Gandhi (MP) Sunday chaired a meeting of Party leaders of Kashmir and exhorted them to work for the betterment of people.
Gandhi expressed serious concern over the difficulties confronting people in absence of the democratic system in J&K while slamming the Govt for snatching the rights of people.
Rahul Gandhi in a meeting with the party leaders of Kashmir expressed serious concern over the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir while slamming the Centre Govt for failing people on all counts.
Gandhi said J&K was divided into to UTs against the wishes of the people besides they are being abandoned of their democratic rights by the BJP aiming to hide its (BJPs) wrong policies and utter failure on all fronts, but the Congress shall continue to fight for the democratic rights of the people and ensure justice to them, he said.
Gandhi slammed the current eviction drive in J&K terming it BJP’s deliberate move to divert attention of the people from real issues especially rising unemployment, unprecedented price hike and other developmental issues concerning people.
Gandhi also expressed confidence that people especially the youth are joining the Congress party given its pro people policies urging Party leaders to keep their doors open for those wishing to join Congress and encourage them to work for the wellbeing of the people.
Gandhi told the Party leaders that he (RG) will continue to visit J&K as that he feels their pain and anguish, he will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice to people of J&K, who have undergone enormous hardships due to the wrong policies adopted by the BJP Govt towards J&K, Gandhi added.
Speaking on the occasion AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi urged the party leaders to work hard to strengthen the Congress party at grass roots and perform their legitimate role to resolve people’s issues, for the fact, Congress Party is an instrument of service to the people.
AICC Incharge Rajni Patil (MP) and JKPCC President Vikar Rasool Wani briefed Shri Rahul Gandhi about the organizational affairs and activities in J&K.
Jaipur: Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed on Sunday blamed the Haryana government and the state’s police for the alleged abduction and murder of two men whose charred bodies were found in the state’s Loharu area.
Ahmed visited Ghatmeeka village in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district to meet the family members of Nasir and Junaid alias Juna, who were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes on Wednesday. Their bodies were found inside a burnt car in Loharu in Haryana’s Bhiwani on Thursday morning.
Blaming the Haryana government, Ahmed said it should have taken action when the incident came to light.
Lives could have been saved if action was taken, he said.
“The Haryana government and the police are completely responsible for the incident. We will raise the issue in the Assembly.
“I appeal to the (Ashok) Gehlot government (in Rajasthan) to give strict punishment to those who let down humanity and hang them to give justice to the victims’ families,” Ahmed told reporters in Bharatpur.
Rinku Saini, who has been arrested by Rajasthan Police in connection with the alleged abduction and murder, has told investigators that the duo was taken to Haryana Police by cow vigilantes, an officer said on Saturday.
The police will verify the claim, the officer added.
The claim corroborates the statement of Mohammad Jabir, a relative of the victim, that the two were first taken to the Firozpur Jhirka police station in Haryana but police refused take their custody as their condition was serious.
Junaid had a criminal record of cattle smuggling and five cases were registered against him at different police stations, a Rajasthan Police officer said.
The last rites of the victims were conducted on Friday after authorities announced a financial aid of Rs 20.50 lakh to each of their families.
A Rajasthan court on Saturday sent Saini to police remand for five days in connection with the case while Haryana authorities moved to cancel the arms licence of Bajrang Dal member Monu Manesar, who is among the four evading arrest.
Hyderabad: A day after Mohammed Khadeer died of alleged custodial torture by Medak police, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President A Revanth Reddy demanded the government provide exgratia of fifty lakh rupees to the kin of the deceased.
Terming the incident atrocious Revanth Reddy demanded exgratia for Khadeer’s kin and a probe into his death. “I strongly condemn this atrocious act and & SIT enquiry & exgratia of 50 lakhs to Khadeer’s family,” tweeted Revanth.
In his last video, Mohammad Qadeer, as a ‘dying declaration’, alleged that the Medak police thrashed him for 5 days and they tried to cover it up.
Last video of Mohd Qadeer which should be taken as Dying declaration who says Medak police beat him up for 5 days & how they tried to cover it up.
Mohammad Khadeer died at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad after the Medak police allegedly brutally tortured him causing major injuries that led to his death.
Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar on Saturday directed the Inspector General of Police to supervise the probe of the alleged custodial torture-related death of the 35-year-old labourer who was picked up by Medak police, suspecting his role in a theft case.
Bengaluru: Intensifying its election campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, the Congress on Saturday launched a ‘poster war’ against the BJP by pasting ‘Kivi Mele Hoova’ (flower on the ear) on BJP posters in Bengaluru and Dakshina Kannada districts.
The campaign was pursued aggressively a day after Congress MLAs tucked flowers on their ears inside the Assembly to show their protest against the unfulfilled promises made by the ruling BJP.
Flower on ears is a symbolic statement in Kannada, which means making someone a fool.
The Congress stepped up the ‘Kivi Mele Hoova’ campaign by taking it to the streets now, the party said in a statement.
“Posters of ‘Kivi Mele Hoova’ are seen on the top of the BJP ‘Achievement Wall’ paintings and posters in many parts of the Bengaluru city and Mangalore this morning,” it added.
The Congress’ Karnataka unit on Friday had attacked the BJP government for failing to fulfil 90 per cent of its 2018 manifesto promises and also for utilising only 56 per cent of allocated funds of the 2022-2023 budget, the statement said.
Former chief minister and Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah, Congress state president D K Shivakumar and other Congress MLAs sported flowers on their ears to highlight that BJP was making people ‘phool’ out of people, it added.
The ‘Kivi Mele Hoova’ is a pamphlet showing flowers tucked on the ear pasted on BJP posters.
The Congress poster appeared on BJP posters showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president J P Nadda, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, his predecessor B S Yediyurappa and BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel.
These posters were seen on Jayamahal Road in Bengaluru and Kankanadi in Dakshina Kannada district, a Congress activist said.
Reacting to it, Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi said the Congress has realised that people will put flower on their ears.
“Congress leaders went to Assembly putting flowers on their ears. They have the realisation that people are going to put flowers on their ears. Already people have done the same to the Congress across the nation,” Joshi said.
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said the Congress MLAs entering the Assembly with flowers on their ears shows that they had been in the habit of ‘putting flowers on the ears of the people’.
The BJP in response, started a Twitter campaign “Thatt Antha Heli” (Reply Quickly) to portray the Congress as a corrupt party.
The Congress had in the past conducted the ‘PayCM’ campaign alleging that the BJP government charges 40 per cent commission on all public works.
A wordplay on digital payments firm PayTM, the PayCM campaign had a QR code showing Bommai’s face in the middle.
With the political permutations and combinations continuously at play in Jammu and Kashmir since the last assembly elections in 2014, the region has witnessed the formation of 22 new political parties in the last eight years, reports Yawar Hussain
JK Police arrested the founder of Awami Awaaz Party on February 16, 2023, for being anti-national. The party came into being after the reading down of Article 370 in August 2019. Pic: JKP
The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), recently formed by Ghulam Nabi Azad has been a new entrant in Kashmir’s political space. While he managed dissensions from the Congress, the clock reversed soon as sixleaders including three former lawmakers re-joined the Congress around Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Joda Yatra.
Like Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party also faced similar dissensions after the fall of the BJPDP alliance in June 2018. While it paved way for the making of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party as 12 former PDP leaders joined it, the rest choose Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference which now has 10 former PDP leaders.
Unlike JKAP and JKPC, there are many parties – registered and unregistered, which have cropped up post-August 2019.
Not Traditional
Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist Peoples Front, launched in 2021, is headed by Sheikh Muzzafar who says that the party’s core ideology is violence, drugs and corruption-free Jammu and Kashmir while the issues like Article 370 aren’t their cup of tea.
“The parties raking up the 370 issues should address it. We have only these three issues on our plate,” Muzzafar said. On being asked about how different JKNPF is from parties with similar agendas, Muzzafar said that the traditional parties have exploited both India and Pakistan. “They have added to the violence, the root cause of which is corruption which we plan to eradicate.”
Along similar lines, the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Awaaz party was formally launched in February 2022 with Suhail Khan as President. The party came into the news soon after they went to hoist the tricolour at Ghanta Ghar.
The party spokesperson Mohammad Arif said that the traditional parties have only pushed the common masses down while siphoning the money for themselves. “Our youth are mainly into drugs because of unemployment. We would get multi-national companies here so that youth get jobs like in rest of India.” He said that Article 370 is a right of the people of J&K that they should get. “Party would decide on the course of action on 370 in coming time.”
As per the party’s vision statement, the members have “affirmed to strive for national integration, peace, brotherhood, communal harmony, development and all other issues for the betterment of inhabitants of Jammu Kashmir without consideration of Caste, creed, region, religion, sex colour and so on.”
Jammu and Kashmir All Alliance Democratic Party was launched in July 2022 by Raquib ul Rashi, Navneet Misra and Nasir Ali Kochak, who all switched from Aam Aadmi Party.
Mishra said that the party’s core agenda is statehood which was snatched unfairly. “The traditional parties in Jammu and Kashmir have only divided the people of the area on religious and regional lines. We will try to bridge those gaps.”
He said that JKAADP is for the restoration pre-August 5 status on the lines in which the farm laws were reversed which were also passed by parliament.
Haq Insaf Party, registered with the Election Commission of India in July 2019, is headed by the former Aam Aadmi Party. Its leader Bilal Khan says that the party was formed for addressing basic developmental issues which the traditional parties couldn’t deliver in the erstwhile state. However, Khan believes that Article 370 shouldn’t have been read down.
Gareeb Democratic Party J&K (GDBJK) was launched in September 2022 by Bashir Ahmad Ganie who rechristened his earlier party Rajya Navjawan Shakti Party started in 2005. The party’s core agenda is to give tickets to people from financially weaker backgrounds so that they can become part of the developmental process.
Aman Aur Shanti Tehreek-e-Jammu Kashmir founded by hitherto unknown Abdullah Kashmiri is registered by the Election Commission of India under the unrecognised party category.
Before August 5, the party was a votary for protection of the Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Recently, Abdullah during a protest asked the leaders associated with the Hurriyat Conference to leave the resistance and become part of mainstream politics.
All India People’s Nationalist Party, launched in November 2021 is headed by Mudasir Ahmad and Sheeraz Zaman Lone Tantray.
Mudasir says that the party’s core agenda is the restoration of the statehood that the Home minister and Prime Minister have promised. “We plan to go to each part of India as well as Jammu and Kashmir for our demand, unlike the traditional parties.”
He says that the party also wants to be a messenger from J&K to other people of India who think that Kashmiris aren’t nationalists. “There is a gap which might be our fault. We want to tell the people of the country that we too are nationalists.”
Jammu and Kashmir Save Party (JKSP) started by Ghulam Hassan Dar is also critical of the traditional parties. Dar says that the PDP and NC have both killed and maimed the people of Kashmir for power while accusing each other of public consumption.
He said that NC sold autonomy while PDP sold self-rule while others sold the right to self-determination and Azadi to the “beleaguered” people of Kashmir.
“The youth of Jammu and Kashmir want to change. We formed the JKSP to only save the people from these traditional parties.”
Jammu and Kashmir Workers Party came into prominence during the 2018’s Panchayat elections which the PDP and NC boycotted against the central government’s non-assurance on protection for Article 370. Since his party put up candidates in that Panchayat election, Mir Junaid, its leader has been vocally critical of both the PDP and NC.
Terming NC’s and PDP’s Gupkar Alliance as ‘Ali Baba Aur Chalis Chor’, Mir said that pre-August-5 these parties were saying that if Article 370 goes they won’t abide by the Indian constitution and won’t even hold the tricolour. “When District Development Council elections were announced, they both jumped into the contest. That is the proof of their hypocrisy.”
“What is wrong if someone from Jammu becomes Chief Minister this time around? Kashmiris have ruled the region for so long,” Mir said. His party has been supportive of the August 5 moves vis-à-vis the erstwhile state.
Mir managed to get dissension from the National Conference when his wife and former lawmaker Shenaz Ganai parted ways with the party before their marriage.
In line with the new parties emerging against the traditional ones, Sheikh Imran, a Srinagar Municipal Corporation councillor has now started Khanyar Darbar which is yet to be established as a party.
Imran, like Mir, came to prominence during the Urban Local Body elections of 2018, which were also boycotted by NC and PDP. He started with Congress and then Peoples Conference. Currently, he is critical of the PDP, Congress, NC and everyone else under the Khanyar Darbar umbrella. However, he has had rekindled bonhomie with JKAP Youth President and SMC Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu but has been critical of JKAP Chief Altaf Bukhari in a rather timid tone.
Challengers
This new political crowd apart, Kashmir’s traditional parties will face the challenge from the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) and the newly formed Democratic Progressive Azad Party.
JKAP, formed in March 2020, has been critical of the Gupkar Alliance while being silent on the JKPC. The party’s core ideology has been the restoration of statehood along with securing land and job rights for the people and basic development including job creation.
The party floated at a time when all top mainstream leaders of Kashmir were in custody post-August 5. JKAP managed to win 12 seats out of 172 seats in the DDC elections of 2020 but installed its chairmen in two district development councils of Kashmir Valley.
Like the JKAP, the JKPC, which had just two seats in the previous assembly, gained substantial leaders from the PDP.
An ally of the BJP in the previous government, JKPC also won the chairperson posts of two DDCs in Baramulla and Kupwara. The party was a part of the Gupkar Alliance pre and post-August 5 but they parted ways alleging that PDP and NC had put proxy candidates against them in the DDC elections.
However, all Gupkar Alliance constituents alleged that proxy candidates were put up by them against each other including by the JKPC. JKPC has been a votary for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35-A.
Both JKAP and JKPC have been dubbed as BJP’s B-team.
The traditional parties are now also bracing up to either an ally or fight against Azad’s DPAP who had earned goodwill across the board for his three-year term as its chief minister from 2005 to 2008.
Even though Azad hasn’t been critical of the traditional parties barring the Congress, he has termed his chief ministerial era as the “best” in a direct snub to these parties who have ruled J&K multiple times.
His party’s ideology is in contravention of the Gupkar Alliance but in line with the JKAP. DPAP is also vouching for the restoration of statehood along with the protection of land and employment rights for natives and development.
While Gupkar Alliance avoided dubbing DPAP as BJP’s second fiddle, the Congress and JKAP alleged that they were propped up by the Centre. The DPAP hasn’t had a smooth run so far as the party’s few founding members are in the doldrums while some have returned back to the parent Congress party.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which voted in favour of the reading down of Articles 370 and 35-A along with the downsizing of Jammu and Kashmir to a UT, has been looking for inroads into the Jammu province based on their performance in the neighbouring Punjab state.
After facing many hiccups since 2014, the party last year got a shot in the arm when the Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party almost merged into AAP with former’s chairman Harshdev Singh joining the bandwagon.
The party has been eyeing the Jammu province’s Hindu heartland areas where it sees Congress’s downfall as a window of opportunity to challenge the BJP which has been ruling the region since 2014.
Swept Away
Earlier in March 2019, babu-turned-politician Shah Faesal launched Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), which he deserted after August 5 to join back the civil services. JKPM became conspicuously absent from the discourse even though it was launched with much fanfare – Hawa badlegi. Initially, the party tied up with former lawmaker Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittihad Party (AIP) for the 2019’s general elections. Rashid, currently in Tihar jail in a militant funding case, had managed to garner over one lakh votes in a closely contested election.
However, Faesal along with scores of mainstream politicians was detained under Public Safety Act (PSA). After his release in 2020, Faesal left politics and is currently Deputy Secretary of the Union Culture Ministry.
His party was then in hands of former Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker Javaid Mustafa Mir who also deserted the ship to join the JKAP.
Like JKPM, the AIP also witnessed dissensions after Rashid’s arrest. Former AIP Spokesperson Sheeban Ashai left the party last year in August to form the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Party.
He accused his former boss Rashid’s brother Sheikh Khurshid of engaging in close-door negotiations with JKAP Chief Syed Altaf Bukhari.
His party’s agenda would be healthcare, education, infrastructure development and job creation.
“Resolution of Kashmir problem, Articles 370 and 35-A and statehood along with repealing of draconian laws is sacrosanct for us,” Ashai said.
In July 2020, cricketer Sayim Mustafa launched his Jammu and Kashmir Socio-Political Movement (JKSPAM) party which fizzled out soon with no activities visible on the ground. However, last year in March, Mustafa personally participated in a youth convention at Sher-e-Kashmir Park where he spoke on the engagement of youth.
New Jammu Parties
National Awami United Party, founded in July 2019 by Sandeep Singh Manhas is registered with the Election Commission of India under the unrecognised category. The party is focused on clean governance in Jammu and Kashmir.
National Democratic Party (Indian) launched in November 2018 by Rajesh Gupta has been critical of the traditional parties barring the BJP. In May 2019, when BJP returned to power in the centre, Gupta while congratulating Prime Minister Narinder had said, “It is a golden opportunity for Modi to remove article 370 as he promised in his Party’s manifesto. He can overcome this issue once and for all by removing Article 370.”
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Party Secular was founded by Sushant Bakshi on the issues of clean governance and development.
The two important parties which emerged in Jammu post-2014 include the ultra-right wing Ikk Jutt Jammu headed by Ankur Sharma and Dogra Swabhiman Sanghathan (DSS) headed by former Congress and BJP lawmaker Choudhary Lal Singh.
While Ikk Jutt has been championing the cause of a separate state for Jammu while keeping Kashmir valley as union territory without an assembly, DSS has been focussed on safeguarding Dogra identity which it says is under threat following the reading down of Articles 370 and 35-A.
Parties De-Registered
The Election Commission of India de-registered eight parties in Jammu and Kashmir in 2022, which include Jammu & Kashmir Awami League, Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Party Nationalist, All J&K Peoples Patriotic Front, Democratic Janta Dal (J&K), J&K Citizens Party and Jammu and Kashmir National United Front, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Front (Secular) and Jammu & Kashmir Save Srinagar Front.
J&K Awami League was founded by Mohammad Yusuf Parray (alias Kuka Parray) in 1995 and had an MLA each in the 1996 and 2002 assemblies. Kuka’s son Imtiyaz Parray joined JKAP last year.
The Democratic Party Nationalist was formed by former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir after he quit Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He currently is the senior vice president of JKAP.
The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Front (Secular) is headed by several-time lawmaker Hakim Yasin. The party since its launch in the early 2000s hasn’t won any other seat. Its deregistration has been termed as a “confusion” by the party which has taken up the matter with ECI.
