SRINAGAR: After quelling the dissent in the Kashmir unit and managing “apology letters” from the disgruntled leaders, the BJP has brought back two leaders to the Valley who were removed from their positions in Kashmir over “pressure from dissenting party leaders” in August this year, thus sending a strong message that dissent would not be allowed.
J&K’s BJP president Ravindra Raina recently appointed Veer Saraf as BJP vistarak (party promoter) for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency and Mudasir Wani as BJP vistarak for the Srinagar seat.
Saraf and Mudasir, along with another Jammu-based leader Abhijeet Jasrotia, were relieved from their positions in Kashmir and asked to report to BJP headquarters in Jammu in August this year after about 100 party leaders from the Valley raised a revolt over “interference from Jammu-based leaders”.
The disgruntled leaders, some of whom were founding members of the party in Kashmir, had alleged that they were being ignored and there was an attempt to hijack the Kashmir unit by the Jammu cadre and demanded a role in decision-making. Over a month after dissenting voices surfaced in the Valley, the party acted against the disgruntled leaders and workers and served show cause notices to over a dozen party workers including former MLC and party’s founding member in Kashmir Sofi Yousuf.
Apart from bringing in two leaders from Jammu, disgruntled leader Manzoor Bhat was replaced with Sajid Yousuf Shah as BJP’s Media in charge for Kashmir. Due to the discontent, the party activities in Kashmir had been badly hit for nearly two months.
Showcase notice
Over a month after dissenting voices surfaced in the Valley, the party acted against the disgruntled leaders and workers and served show cause notices to over a dozen party workers including former MLC and party’s founding member in Kashmir Sofi Yousuf.