Looking to shed BJP’s ‘B team’ label, Apni Party vows J&K’s statehood in manifesto

Hit by desertions after the dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls, the Apni Party on Wednesday distanced itself from Bharatiya Panata Party (BJP) as it promised restoration of statehood in its manifesto for the upcoming assembly polls.
Addressing the conscious effort to carve its own identity, party general secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir said their opponents had earlier been successful in convincing the people of a certain proximity with the BJP.
“Our opponents were successful in painting us as the ‘B-team’ [of BJP] in the eyes of people. That is the reason I make it clear today that we are not part of the BJP. Going forwards, we will attempt to highlight the sentiments of Jammu and Kashmir’s people,” he said.
Notably, all party candidates contesting from Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections had lost their deposits. In the intervening months, four senior leaders have left the party.
A prominent tribal leader, Zafar Manhas, resigned on Tuesday while the party’s vice-president Usman Majeed, who was formerly associated with the Congress, had quit the Altaf Bukhari-led party early this month.
Apni Party came into being in March 2020 soon after revocation of Article 370 in August 2019 and comprises mostly former ministers and legislators from the Peoples Democratic Party.
The party was the first to reach out to the Centre post the abrogation of Article 370, a move that earned it the label of BJP’s “B team”.
Mir said there was no doubt that they went to Delhi and met the PM at a time when everything was under clampdown. He, however, was quick to add, “We demanded the release of all political leaders and we also got clarification against any demographic change in J&K. We didn’t hide anything. But then there was an all-party meeting by the PM, there was everyone including PDP, MY Tarigami and Sajad Lone in the meeting. But why are we only being blamed [for being pro BJP].”
Bukhari had earlier in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha polls expressed his keenness in getting support from the BJP, further denting its image in the Valley.
Besides the promise to fight for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, the party manifesto also mentions establishing a board to review cases for quashing the Public Safety Act against youth and also releasing those not involved in heinous crimes.
The party said it will revisit and restore all the laws withdrawn or amended over time while also looking to secure Constitutional guarantees for protection of land and jobs.
The party also stated that it believed in the dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits
It promised for the provision of 500 units of free electricity per household during the winter months for the Kashmir region and summer months in Jammu.