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HomePoliticsBJP accused of trying to pull 'another Karnataka' to unseat Srinagar mayor

BJP accused of trying to pull ‘another Karnataka’ to unseat Srinagar mayor

Corporators allege that BJP is offering them bribes and issuing threats as it plans to move a no-confidence motion against Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu and his deputy Sheikh Imran.

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Srinagar: The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is caught in an upheaval with elected corporators accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pulling another “Karnataka” in the 70-member council.

The corporators are alleging that the BJP has been offering them bribes and issuing threats as it plans to move a no-confidence motion to unseat current Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu and his deputy Sheikh Imran, who is among politicians detained by the civil administration since the Modi government diluted Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August.

In response to the alleged attempts, the mayor, who had been outside Kashmir to receive medical treatment, held a meeting Saturday as a show of strength. The meeting was attended by 50 corporators, which is being seen as a positive sign by the non-BJP leadership within the corporation. Congress corporators Monday said they had submitted a memorandum to the party leadership stating that they would not be part of the no-confidence motion.

Mattu, who spoke to ThePrint, said the corporators had drawn his attention to the BJP’s attempts at a no-confidence motion.

“There was this perception being created about a lack of numbers and support for our positions. That is not accurate. I had been outside Kashmir for treatment and now I am back to work,” Mattu said.

“There is stability now but I will not deny attempts of misadventures. To those forces, I want to say that I am not new to politics. Any attempts to undermine democratic processes and bullying of democratic institutions will be fought and fought hard.”


Also read: J&K police will now book cattle smugglers, drug peddlers under stringent Public Safety Act 


The SMC council

The 74-member SMC council comprises of corporators affiliated to various political parties, including the Congress, National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Conference (PC). However, four SMC council member seats are vacant bringing down the strength of the council to 70.

Of the 70 members, 17 belong to the Congress and four to the BJP. The party would need the support of another 32 members to unseat the SMC leadership of the 70-member council.

That is where the complication arises.

The Srinagar mayor and deputy mayor belong to the Peoples Conference (PC) party whose chief Sajad Lone, a former minister in the PDP-BJP government has been detained by the J&K police since August along with other senior leaders of his party.

The PC, due to not being allotted a party symbol ahead of the 2018 local body elections, fielded its candidates as Independents. Around 22 council members, including the mayor and his deputy, have expressed their affiliation to the PC.

The NC and the PDP had boycotted the urban local body elections but some of the corporators declared their affiliation to both the parties after the polls. As a result, 11 corporators have expressed their affiliation to the NC, five to the PDP and another 11 have remained Independents.


Also read: Kashmir businesses start filing GST returns, but not fast enough to boost revenue collection 


Horse trading and blackmail

The corporators are alleging that the BJP’s local unit has been taking advantage of the uncertainty in the Valley to “stoke a rebellion” within the SMC.

“We have hard evidence against the BJP corporators approaching others and offering money and other perks,” said Aqib Renzu, corporator from Srinagar’s Brain region.

“Those who did not get swayed by the money were threatened with the slapping of the Public Safety Act (PSA). One corporator was given the example of the deputy mayor being detained.”

Ashraf Mir, another corporator who belongs to the PC, said he too had been approached by the BJP corporators asking him to be part of the no-confidence motion. Mattu’s political advisor Sheikh Firdous said he was confident that the BJP does not have the numbers to move the motion but did not deny attempts of “poaching” by the party.

He added it would be a long process to unseat the Mayor and expressed his skepticism about BJP being successful in its attempts.

The Congress too has made it clear that it would not be a party to the BJP’s designs after a senior BJP leader claimed that Congress corporators also wanted the no-confidence motion.

“We will not be part of any no-confidence motion. The BJP had been trying to unsuccessfully approach our members but we want to make it clear that there will not be a time when Congress will support the BJP to undermine democratic institutions,” Congress corporator Shameema Khan said.

The BJP corporators, however, denied the charges of blackmail and intimidation but were not apologetic about their opposition to the mayor.

“The largest group in the SMC council is of Independents who do not have faith in the Mayor. If they want to move a no-confidence motion, we will support them,” said Arif Raja, the BJP’s Srinagar district president and a corporator from Nawakadal.

“As far as allegations of horse-trading and blackmail go, I want to put it straight that BJP is not a party that believes in these things. If there are instances of offering bribes, the concerned corporators should bring it to light.”


Also read: Kashmiris are dodging internet shutdown to watch Turkish ‘Game of Thrones’ to beat the blues 


 

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