Is the BJP not going the Congress way in J&K?  Tainted persons in the BJP; local leadership stands nowhere

Is the BJP not going the Congress way in J&K?  Tainted persons in the BJP; local leadership stands nowhere

POONCH TODAY NEWS

POONCH: BJP always projects itself as a party with a nationalist approach, strong character, integrity, and discipline, but over the past some time, a new trend has been seen, especially in J&K, where some people with questionable credentials have managed their entry into the folds of the BJP to secure their self-interest. Many tax violators, contractors, land grabbers, leaders with anti-national and anti-social credentials, masterminds of major revenue scams at various places in which many private and government properties were illegally transferred in revenue records to some institutions under a planned agenda, and other persons with doubtful credentials with no mass following have joined the BJP.

Even those, who never won a councilor election, panch election, sarpanch election, DDC election, or MLA election were seen joining the BJP just for their personal self-interest and to secure their illegal political and business interests. When some district bodies of the BJP were approached by “POONCH TODAY” on this emerging development, one of the important office bearers of the BJP in a sensitive district of Jammu division, pleading anonymity, said, “Kya kaheen bhai sahib, sab faisle upar se hote hain, hame koi nahi sunta (What to say: All decisions are being taken from above; nobody listens to us.) The entry of some questionable forces into the BJP folds has decreased the morale of nationalist forces in J&K. Some active BJP members, on the condition of anonymity, said that this new trend in the BJP has created an impression in the minds of the people that the BJP seems to be going the Congress way, as the grand old party of the country was always accused of adjusting people with doubtful and anti-national credentials into the party. One of the leaders said, “No doubt, our party has done a lot for the people of J&K. So I don’t think that people with doubtful histories need to be adjusted in the party because it will set a bad trend for the future, and if this trend continues to remain the same, then the day is not far away when people will not trust the BJP, which once was known for its strong nationalist character, discipline, and integrity.” The BJP has become a bigger political force in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370, and going by the latest development scenario, the party is in confidence to form the government in J&K by all means whenever assembly elections are held, said an insider in the BJP camp. It’s a fact that people all over the country love PM Modi because, under his leadership, the country has become the most powerful country in the world, and the saffron brigade under PM Modi is also set to win the 2024 parliamentary elections. But at the ground level, the issue of allowing people with doubtful credentials into the party who have never won any type of election is slowly getting the attention of nationalist forces, which could prove wrong for the party in assembly and local body elections. How can people forget the Rajouri incident when an ex-militant turned journalist managed his entry into the BJP, but later, he was caught by the police? There are a number of examples that show that people who were involved in multiple revenue scams and also remained involved in anti-social and anti-national acts have become active BJP members, and this has raised a big question mark on the ideology of the BJP, which has always projected itself as a party having national interest at its core. Those who always stood against the national interest have suddenly become part-time nationalists to be with the saffron brigade, and this is a dangerous trend in several places, according to security experts. A senior BJP leader, on the condition of anonymity, said, “There is a common saying that a snake only sheds its skin to become a bigger snake, so before allowing the entry of the wrong people into its fold, the top brass of the BJP needs to verify their credentials and past history through all agencies because national interest and national security are supreme and not political interest.” The BJP needs to remain a nationalist party, and it should not go the Congress way because, above all, national security is supreme, said a senior BJP leader while talking to “POONCH TODAY.” Its high time for BJP president Ravinder Raina and general secretary Ashok Koul to address this burning public concern before the party loses its trust among the nationalist-minded voters, feel political pundits.