Jammu And Kashmir BJP Chief Expels State Party Leader For "Hate Speech"

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina on Tuesday expelled a senior party leader for “hate speech” and “using unparliamentary language” during an election meeting in Poonch district.

Poonch district is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency where the elections were rescheduled for May 25 by the Election Commission.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Mian Altaf are in a direct contest from the constituency. Prominent among 19 other candidates in the fray include Mohammad Saleem Parray of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and J&K Apni Party leader Zafar Iqbal Khan Manhas.

Raina ordered expulsion of Poonch district spokesperson Satish Bhargav from the party's primary membership for a period of six years for “gross indiscipline” and using “unparliamentary language and hate speech”.

The J&K BJP chief passed the order on the basis of the recommendation by Sunil Sethi, the chairman of the party's disciplinary committee.

Sethi referred to a video of Bhargav making hate speech threatening and using unparliamentary language in a meeting at Mendhar area of Poonch district.

“It is highly deplorable and such behaviour by a senior leader is gross indiscipline and cannot be tolerated in a disciplined party like the BJP. It is as such recommended that he should be immediately expelled from the party for six years,” Sethi said, adding “enquiry is not needed in the matter as his conduct is recorded”.

Meanwhile, the PDP lodged a complaint with the returning officer for the constituency against the BJP for “intimidation tactics” to force the people to vote for the Apni Party candidate.

“It has come to our attention that there have been alarming instances of intimidation and threats targeting Pahari Muslims, aimed at influencing their voting choices," PDP leader and former MLC Firdous Tak said in his complaint.

“Specifically, it has been reported that representatives of the BJP have been openly making threats towards Pahari Muslims, suggesting that a repetition of the events of 1947 could occur if they fail to vote for the candidate backed by the Sangh Parivar i.e Apni Party,” he added in his complaint.

Tak, who is also a member of the powerful political affairs committee of the party, forwarded the video of Bhargav and said “such reprehensible tactics not only violate the principles of free and fair elections but also undermine the democratic process by instilling fear and coercion among the voters”.

Demanding a thorough investigation into the matter, the PDP leader asked for appropriate measures to guarantee the safety and security of all voters, particularly those who may be vulnerable to such intimidation tactics.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)