At Pahalgam constituency in Anantnag, if one seeks any information related to Kashmir politics, Mohammad Yusuf, 38, is the person to turn to. A tall man with an athletic figure, Yusuf has been in politics as a ground-level worker for the last 20 years. But despite being a member of many parties till now, Yusuf at the end of the day feels neglected and betrayed by his masters.
“At this point, I can neither call myself a party-member nor a common man,” Yusuf said in a disappointing voice adding the evolving situation in the Valley has forced dozens of the dedicated party workers like him to cut-off their relations with their concerned parties.
A resident of Naghbal village, Yusuf joined Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) a decade ago and represented the Gujjar-Bakerwal community of Pahalgam constituency. In Pahalgam constituency, 70 per cent of the population is Gujjar-Bakerwals.
“My people support what I support; they have chosen me as their representative,” Yusuf said while pointing towards a bunch of people sitting next to him at his home. But now, he added, in most of the instances he feels ashamed when his people wanted him to help with some government work. “I’m myself being ignored by both the parties and officials, how I will help them,” Yusuf said while flipping a bunch of certificates of appreciation he received from the different political parties. “These certificates are of no use now.”
Yusuf said it is because of him that the BJP had massive support of Gujjar-Bakerwals from Pahalgam. “But my people have understood the mind of the party now,” Yusuf said. “They won’t support the parties which are against Kashmir and Kashmiris.”
This story is from the March 15-21, 2020; THE STATE OF POLITICS; Issue 50 Vol 11 edition of Kashmir Life.
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This story is from the March 15-21, 2020; THE STATE OF POLITICS; Issue 50 Vol 11 edition of Kashmir Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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