SRINAGAR : A fresh internal dispute has surfaced in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Anantnag unit, with a suspended party worker alleging that around Rs 8.25 lakh was sought in the name of permissions, jobs and other opportunities.
The allegations have come days after the BJP suspended nine office-bearers following a controversial Tiranga rally in Anantnag on August 5, where some party workers allegedly raised derogatory slogans targeting Kashmiri women.
One of the suspended workers, Afdal Waheed, alleged that Anantnag district general secretary Arif Hussain Langroo had asked him to arrange money, claiming it could be used to secure SPO positions, MY Bharat work and other opportunities.
Waheed alleged that the amount involved was around Rs 8.25 lakh. He claimed that the money included payments sought for permissions and accommodation during the Amarnath Yatra, besides expenses for furniture for the BJP office, which he said had been arranged on his guarantee.
“I have already submitted a complaint to the SSP Anantnag. I want the administration to conduct a proper inquiry and bring all the concerned people together so that it can be established whether money was taken for permissions and other work and where that money went,” Waheed said.
The allegations have not been independently established, while the BJP has rejected them.
Anantnag BJP district president Rakesh Kaul questioned the allegation concerning permissions, saying such approvals were issued by the administration.
“Allegations keep coming, but first ask who actually gives permission. Permissions are issued by the administration. The Deputy Commissioner is the competent authority. A permission does not come from Rakesh Kaul or any BJP office-bearer,” Kaul said.
He said the controversy would not affect the party.
“The party will not be damaged by this. Allegations are made even against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the party has continued to win elections. The party does not get damaged by the actions of a few persons,” he said.
The allegations have surfaced against the backdrop of the BJP’s action against nine Anantnag office-bearers following the August 5 rally at Housing Colony, Khanabal, organised to mark the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.
The rally was led by BJP leader and former MLC Sofi Mohammad Yousuf.
During the event, some BJP workers allegedly raised derogatory slogans referring to Kashmiri women by the traditional names “Aazi” and “Fazi”.
The workers chanted, “Moukloy Aazi hund te Faazi hund izzat” (“The honour of Aazi and Fazi has ended”) in Yousuf’s presence. He did not object to the slogans.
No action has so far been announced by the BJP against Yousuf, who led the rally.
The slogans triggered widespread criticism from political parties, civil society groups and people across Kashmir.
J&K Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo condemned the remarks and called for action against those responsible.
National Conference leader Tanvir Sadiq also criticised the slogans, saying the names referred to Kashmiri mothers and sisters. The PDP, AAP and several civil society groups too condemned the remarks.
With the criticism mounting, the J&K BJP distanced itself from the slogans.
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the remarks made by some individuals did not represent the party’s ideology or official position. He said the BJP did not endorse defamatory or derogatory remarks against anyone and remained committed to the dignity and empowerment of women.
The Anantnag BJP unit also said the rally had neither been organised nor authorised by it.
District BJP president Rakesh Koul said the organisers had not obtained permission from the district administration and termed the remarks against women unacceptable and contrary to the party’s discipline and principles.
The BJP subsequently suspended nine office-bearers from its primary membership and removed them from their organisational positions pending an inquiry.
Those suspended included district general secretary Nisar Ahmad Bhat, district secretary Khursheed Ahmad Sofi, district secretary and former vice-president Aabida Rafiq, Shangus constituency president Irshad Ahmad Malik, Mohammad Maqbool Ganie, Pahalgam constituency president Waheed Ahmad Itoo, district secretary Nisar Ahmad Hakeem, Kisan Morcha district secretary Feroz Ahmad Hajam and Mahila Morcha district secretary Sabrooza Akhter.
The party said the action followed consultations with senior leaders and the district core committee.
It also clarified that Alveer Ahmad Dar and Fancy Akhter, whose names had surfaced in connection with the rally, were not associated with the Anantnag district unit and held no organisational posts.
The suspended members later addressed the media and apologised for the slogans. However, they alleged that their suspension was linked not only to the controversial remarks but also to complaints they had raised against some local BJP leaders.
They alleged that some leaders had conspired against them after they raised what they described as a “corruption alarm” within the party.
The allegations have consequently expanded the controversy from a dispute over the slogans to an apparent internal rift within the Anantnag BJP unit.
The corruption allegations, however, remain unverified. There is no publicly available evidence so far to establish that money was actually taken for jobs, permissions or other opportunities, or that the nine members were suspended because they had raised such complaints.
The episode has also brought renewed questions over the role of Sofi Mohammad Yousuf. While the BJP has suspended the nine office-bearers, no similar action against Yousuf has been announced so far, despite his reported presence at and leadership of the rally where the controversial slogans were raised.
