Former Finance Minister, famous for his dual currency idea, was declared ‘Man of the Match’ last year when he emerged victorious by a margin of over 40k votes in Lok Sabha elections defeating NC big-man Dr Farooq Abdullah.
A few months later, state assembly election saw his sister-in-law become lawmaker from Hazratbal constituency while his close associate led PDP’s entry into Srinagar through Batamaloo constituency. However, the 2015 is altogether a different story for this ‘lucky politician’. Ever since, PDP entered in coalition with right wing Hindu nationalist BJP, Karra is maintaining distance from his party. He is vocal against the ‘North Pole-South Pole’ alliance. Karra also doesn’t care for the functioning of state’s PDP-BJP government. Though Karra is the member of coalition government’s Coordination Committee, he is yet to attend any of its meetings. Not even this, Karra skipped party’s crucial meeting for the second time. Karra is not sitting idle. He is keeping a close eye on happenings since PDP-BJP government was formed in J&K. Karra lambasted PDP leadership asking them to snap ties with communal BJP saying that they are attacking Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir in broad day light. His statements are lucid: what RSS could not do in India in sixty years, they have achieved that in Kashmir in just 6 months. A legislator was roughed by BJP in state assembly. So how could a common man feel safe in Kashmir under the rabid elements that have the patronage of BJP and RSS? He even asked BJP union leadership to stop befooling people on economic package. The first one from J&K to visit Udhampur communal mob attack victims at Safdarjung, Karra, unconfirmed reports said, had updated his party leadership about the critical state of Zahid Rasool Bhat before his death last Sunday. Nephew of late National Conference politician, Ghulam Mohi Ud Din Karra, Tariq Hamid won his first election in 2004 by-elections after his uncle’s demise.
– Riyaz Ul Khaliq
