‘Chief minister, chief minister Engineer, ghar-ghar Engineer’ chanted an enthusiastic group of youngsters, who jostled with each other to catch a glimpse of Member of Parliament Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, as he reached his home constituency of Baramulla in North Kashmir on Thursday morning.
Rashid, who was released on interim bail from Delhi’s Tihar Jail on Wednesday after five-and-a-half years, was overwhelmed soon after he landed at Srinagar airport and prostrated on the road, kissing the soil of Kashmir.
“Don't lose heart, my people. Truth is on our side. Nobody can suppress our voice be it (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi or (Union home minister) Amit Shah. We don't seek alms. We only want to be treated as humans. We only want the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue. The first thing is that our rights, self respect and liberty need to be protected,” he said.
Rashid later said if the Opposition INDIA bloc assures that they will restore Article 370 once their government comes to power, he will withdraw all his candidates. “Even till polling day, if the India bloc gives us assurance about Article 370, I will ask my voters to vote for the India Alliance candidates and withdraw my candidates,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir is voting in three phases – September 18, 25 and October 1. The votes will be counted on October 8.
Rashid then headed towards Baramulla, where he addressed hundreds of supporters who had gathered from different parts of the Valley to listen to him. The venue, a cricket ground at Delina, presented a festive look with young enthusiastic supporters waving flags of his party, the Awami Ittehad Party, and his pictures.
The AIP is contesting 35 seats in Kashmir and it was the first big show after the release of the MP, but the crowd was far less than what many had expected, particularly after Rashid got more than five lakh votes in the parliamentary elections from Baramulla seat defeating National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah.
Rashid, who was arrested in 2019 in connection with a terror funding case and was granted bail till October 2 to campaign for the assembly elections, expressed gratitude to the people of North Kashmir for voting for him despite his incarceration.
He targeted Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti for dubbing him as a proxy of the BJP. He targeted the ‘Naya Kashmir’ slogan of Prime Minister Modi. “I want to tell Narendra Modi his slogan of Naya Kashmir has flopped. Today, it is a Kashmir of atrocities, killings and torture,” he said while the crowd cheered.
Flanked by half a dozen candidates of his party, Rashid said: “Narendra Modi ji, Amit Shah ji, Rahul Gandhi or other leaders of India must have known with whom the people of Kashmir stand with. They have also got to know that by putting Engineer Rashid, Hurriyat leaders, the youth of Kashmir and legitimate leaders of the Valley in Tihar can't bury the real issue of Kashmir."
Rashid said that the Prime Minister must have understood that the votes that he got weren't for sentiment but for commitment.
The gathering raised slogans of “Tihar ka badla vote se, zulm ka badla vote se, UAPA ka badla vote se (Revenge of Tihar, atrocities and UAPA through votes).”
Rashid claimed that the outcome of the elections weren’t important for him. "For me, the election isn't important but the resolution of the Kashmir issue holds high importance," he said, adding that the banned Jamaat-e-Islami had made a lot of sacrifices.
"They (Jamaat) have made many contributions and sacrifices but first I will have to talk with them and their leaders about J&K's interests," he said.
Rashid also ruled out any alliance with the BJP. “Omar Abdullah says I will be jailed after October 2. I want to ask him if, according to him, I am working for the BJP then why will they put me in Tihar again,” he said, predicting the elections would bring about a big change in J&K.
“If Omar Abdullah will only accompany me up to Tihar Jail the day I am taken back, I promise we will withdraw candidates against him from Ganderbal and Budgam,” he said, seeking support from people to strengthen his hands.
(This story was first published in Hindustan Times)
