Kya Mahrah Chhev Vannan...?
Mediaman
All-Muslim Kulgam to have non-Muslim chairman
>From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
KULGAM, Feb 7: Like Baramulla and Uri in north Kashmir, Muslims of this
militant-infested enclave in south Kashmir have elected the one-odd
Kashmiri Pandit voter as their representative in ward No:5 Larkipora.
Independent candidate Ramesh Kumar Bhat, who defeated Ghulam Nabi
Rangrez of Congress in yesterday's polling, is now tipped to become
the chairman of the 11-member Kulgam Municipal Committee (KMC).
However, two political parties, who have been swearing by secularism
across the Jawahar Tunnel, have made it a point to defeat one-odd
Kashmiri Pandit contestant in Pulwama town.
Contesting elections is nothing new for Ramesh Kumar Bhat, who had
migrated to Jammu in the wake of the eruption of secessionist militancy
in 1990. Until 1990, he had a chemist's shop as also a pesticides
outlet in this Anantnag district locality, known for delicious Kashmiri
apple. Bhat returned to his home in 1995. Next year, he was seen
prominently working in the campaign of the CPI(M) candidate, Mohammad
Yusuf Tarigami, in Assembly elections. In the Assembly elections of
2002, Bhat was himself a contestant-fighting Tarigami as also the NC
and PDP candidates. He finally supported Tarigami, the winning CPI(M)
candidate.
In April 2004, Bhat contested Lok Sabha elections from Anantnag-Pulwama
against Tarigami, NC's Dr Mehboob Beg and PDP's Mehbooba Mufti. He
was defeated but his passion for fighting elections, with considerable
Muslim support of his locality, did never vanish. Though, he is the
only non-Muslim voter in town, his Muslim brethren fielded him in ward
No:5 Larkipora. In the polling on Sunday, 289 votes were polled among
736. Bhat got 196 and his Congress rival, Ghulam Nabi Rangrez, just 87.
Six votes were declared invalid. Bhat was among the seven CPI(M)-backed
Independent candidates, who were returned in town. Two each seats were
captured by NC and Congress.
By all indications, Bhat is tipped to become the first Kashmiri Pandit
to head the 11-member KMC, for which the elections were held after 27
years. Residents of Larkipora and other wards are hopeful that the
45-year-old non-Muslim would prove to be their best representative in
every sector from sanitation to development.
"We made it a point that Bhat Sahib must get a chance to represent the
Muslim majority in the KMC. If he is elected the Chairman, it will be
our token gift to him for his return to home. He must feel that he is
one among us. He must feel that he is the most vociferous, most
empowered citizen in the town. Kashmir's secular ethos must always
shine-this time from Kulgam", said Mohammad Yusuf Mir, a fruit
merchant.
Bhat firmly believes that his victory was the contemporary history's
biggest jolt to communal and anti-national elements-be that in Valley
or across the Pir Panjal mountain range. "I'm elated and proud that
my Muslim brethren have always given me their support and strength. I
do have a couple of Police guards but my real security and protection
are my friends and neighbours-perhaps every resident of Kulgam town",
said a jubilant Bhat. His message to co-religionists outside the Valley
is: "Don't please believe the communal parties". He would strive hard
to ensure that none of the Kashmiri Pandits fell in the trap of the
'communal parties'. Others of his family are still living in Top
Sherkhania, Jammu.
With this new ray of hope in south Kashmir, residents of Baramulla town
in north Kashmir are also close to consensus that a former public
prosecutor, Karnail Singh, be elected as Chairman of the 21-member
Baramulla Municipal Council. Members of the minority Sikh community
have been elected in six wards. Two of the Sikh candidates have
defeated rival Muslim contestants with the support of the Muslim
majority.
Ironically, two of the mainstream political parties, who have been
boasting of their secular credentials across the Pir Panjal, have
played the politics of communalism to defeat a 60-year-old Kashmiri
Pandit woman, Chuni Devi, in another south Kashmir town, Pulwama. Chuni
Devi, wife of late Sham Lal, had filed her nomination as the NC
candidate in ward No:6, Sirnow, for Pulwama Municipal Committee (PMC).
She had entered the fray on the sustained motivation of the majority
Muslim community.
In yesterday's polling, Chuni Devi polled just 37 votes against her
PDP rival, Saja Bano. In this ward of 346 voters, 246 votes were
polled. The lion's share was claimed by the Congress candidate Raja,
who bagged 170 votes. Reliable sources in Pulwama insisted that both,
Congress as well as PDP, sought votes in the name of religion to ensure
the victory of their candidates. Leaders of both the parties, however,
deny the allegation. "We would have loved to field a non-Muslim but we
failed to get one", said a Congress activist.