J&K Apni Party “Party of the defectors,For the defectors, By the Defectors”, Say Analysts

Srinagar: Most of the leaders of the newly launched Apni Party, launched by former Finance Minister Syed Altaf Bukhari, are defectors from the People’s Democratic Party, headed by Mehbooba Mufti presently under detention since August 5 last year and the Congress. While Altaf Bukhari himself says that his J&K Apni Party is different from National Conference (NC) and PDP, the eye watchers in Srinagar call it “ a party —of the defectors, for the defectors by the defectors” and the opposition party call it an “Offshoot of BJP”
Among the prominent politicians who have joined Bukkhari’s J&K Apni party are Ghulam Hassan Mir (former PDP leader and President J&K DPN ), , Rafi Mir (PDP), Javed Hussain Beg (PDP), Dilawar Mir (PDP), Noor Mohammed (PDP), Zaffar Manhas(PDP), Abdul Majid Paddar (PDP), Abdul Rahim Rather (PDP) and Usman Majid (Congress). Former Chief Secretary Vijay Bakaya a Kashmir Pandit is the only leader of National Conference who has defected to Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party. Notably Gh Hassan Mir a three time cabinet minister of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state was among the frontline leaders who staged a political coup against the then Farooq Abdullah led National Government in 1984. Mir was also one of the founding leaders of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and held the position of Mufti led PDP-Congress government until 2005 after which he parted ways with Sayeed’s PDP in the backdrop of a power tussle with his arch rival Muzaffar Hussain Beigh who was tipped for the position of Deputy Chief Minister by Sayeed. Mir floated his own party called Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) later. Though Mir won 2009 assembly elections and held the position of cabinet minister as an affiliate of Congress party in the then Omar Abdullah led NC-Congress coalition government for six long years but he lost 2014 assembly elections against the then PDP nominee Abbas Wani with a heavy margin. Rafi Ahmad Mir a former legislator is known for defecting from National Conference to PDP way back in 2004 and now he has defected from PDP to Altaf Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party. Noor Mohammd Bhat a former MLA of PDP is known for deserting his political mentor Tariq Hameed Kara one of the founders of PDP presently owing allegiance to Congress party after 2014 assembly polls and siding with the Muftis’ who led the PDP-BJP coalition government for more than three years from 2015-2018. Interestingly Noor Mohammad during three year PDP-BJP coalition rule had a scuffle with Usman Majid the then Congress MLA on the floor of state assembly after he dubbed Usman “a killer” and a “counter insurgent”. Interestingly both Noor Mohammad and Usman Majid have joined the J&K Apni Party. Usman Majeed has defected from the Congress party to Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party. Dilawar Mir another defector from the PDP is known for his role in political coup against the then Farooq Abdullah led National Conference Government way back in 1984. Though he returned to National Conference few years later but he again deserted National Conference in 2006 and defected to Mufti Sayeed led PDP. After wining bye election in 2006 Dilawar Mir was inducted into Gh Nabi Azad headed Congress-PDP coalition government. Mir’s son Yawar Dilawar also a former MLA too has defected from PDP to Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party. Ab Majeed Padder a former minister defected from Congress to PDP before 2014 assembly elections and was one of the leaders who revolted against Mehbooba Mufti led PDP after the fall of PDP-BJP coalition government in the year 2018. Padder has now joined Bukhari’s J&K Apni party. Javed Hassan Beigh a former PDP MLA known for revolting with less than half a dozen defectors against Mehbooba led PDP in 2018 too has joined Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party. The party, launched on last Sunday, claims to have drawn inspiration from former Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Mohammad Bakshi. “Bakshi took over as the Prime Minister after Sheikh Abdullah was dethroned in 1953 and jailed for about two decades .Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad held the position of Prime Minister till 1964. Historically National Conference sees Ghulam Mohammad Bakshi as the one who betrayed Sheikh Abdullah and National Conference. Eye watchers in Kashmir also draw a commonality between Bukhari, his new party and Bakshi. Analysts believe that Bukhari is happy to be associated with powers representing Delhi rather than Kashmir. “One of the political problems in Kashmir has been that political parties over the years tend to represent Delhi in Kashmir rather than their constituencies and Bakshi was seen as a beginner of such kind of politics in Jammu and Kashmir and others followed him. Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party is a party of the defectors, for the defectors and by the defectors” a veteran journalist presently heading a multi-edition English Daily in Jammu & Kashmir said on conditions of anonymity. The main opposition mainstream political parties National Conference (NC) and Congress have in their statement dubbed Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party an “off shoot” of BJP . BJP has welcomes the launch of a new party with the hope a new change in the Jammu & Kashmir politics.
Soon after the revocation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K into two union territories on August 5, 2019, the government jailed top mainstream political leaders including three former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah , Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti . Though Peoples Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone a trusted associate of BJP in Kashmir in yesteryears has been released but he continues to be under house detention since his release just two months back.