Anatnag: What was planned as a Bharatiya Janata Party celebration of August 5, the day the BJP-led government of India (GoI) scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019, has turned into a controversy, with nine BJP office-bearers suspended and the suspended members now making allegations against party leaders.
It all started during a Tiranga rally held at Housing Colony, Khanabal, in Anantnag on August 5, marking the seventh year of the GoI’s decision to abrogate Article 370.
The rally was led by BJP leader and former MLC Sofi Mohammad Yousuf. A video from the rally showed some BJP workers raising slogans that were seen as offensive to Kashmiri women.
During the rally, BJP workers raised derogatory slogans targeting Kashmiri women, using the traditional female names “Aazi” and “Fazi”.
The workers chanted, “Moukloy Aazi hund te Faazi hund izzat” (“The honour of Aazi and Fazi has ended”) in the presence of former BJP MLC Sofi Yousuf, who did not object to the slogans.
However, the BJP has so far taken no action against Yousuf, who led the Tiranga rally.
August 5 has remained a politically sensitive date in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019. On this date, the GoI moved to end the special constitutional position of Jammu and Kashmir and introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in Parliament.
Parliament approved the measures, and the erstwhile state was later divided into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the GoI’s decision to abrogate Article 370.
But in Kashmir, the political response to August 5 remains sharply divided.
The BJP marks the day as a celebration of what it calls the full integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
The National Conference, PDP and Congress, on the other hand, have continued to oppose the 2019 changes and have used the day to demand restoration of the region’s special status and statehood.
This year too, the BJP organised programmes and rallies to mark the anniversary, while opposition parties held protests.
It was during these competing political programmes that the Anantnag rally triggered the latest controversy.
During the rally at Housing Colony, some BJP workers were seen raising slogans that were later criticised as derogatory towards Kashmiri women.
The slogans used the names Aazi and Fazi and changed the wording of a slogan historically linked with Article 370.
The video showed participants raising slogans and celebrating as the chants were made.
The footage triggered widespread criticism.
J&K Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo condemned the slogans and called for action against those responsible.
National Conference leader Tanvir Sadiq also criticised the remarks, saying the names used in the slogans represented Kashmiri mothers and sisters.
The PDP, AAP and several civil society groups also condemned the slogans and demanded action.
As criticism grew, the BJP distanced itself from the slogans.
J&K BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the remarks were made by individuals and did not represent the party’s official position.
The party said it did not support any derogatory remarks against women and maintained that it stood for their dignity and empowerment.
The BJP’s Anantnag district unit also said the rally was neither organised nor authorised by it.
District BJP president Rakesh Koul said the organisers had not taken permission from the district administration and that the remarks made against women were unacceptable.
The district unit said such conduct was against the party’s discipline and principles.
The BJP subsequently suspended nine office-bearers from the party’s primary membership and removed them from their organisational positions pending an inquiry.
Those suspended included district general secretary Nisar Ahmad Bhat, district secretary Khursheed Ahmad Sofi, district secretary and former vice-president Aabida Rafiq, Shangus constituency president Irshad Ahmad Malik, Mohammad Maqbool Ganie, Pahalgam constituency president Waheed Ahmad Itoo, district secretary Nisar Ahmad Hakeem, Kisan Morcha district secretary Feroz Ahmad Hajam and Mahila Morcha district secretary Sabrooza Akhter.
The party said the action was taken after consultations with senior leaders and the district core committee.
The BJP also clarified that two other people whose names had surfaced in connection with the rally, Alveer Ahmad Dar and Fancy Akhter, were not associated with the Anantnag district unit and did not hold any organisational posts.
The controversy, however, did not end with the suspensions.
The suspended BJP members later addressed the media and apologised for the controversial slogans.
But they also made a fresh allegation.
The suspended workers alleged that some local BJP leaders had conspired against them after they raised what they described as a “corruption alarm” within the party.
They claimed that their suspension was not only linked to the slogans but was also connected to their complaints against some party leaders.
BJP worker Afdal Waheed alleged that Anantnag district general secretary Arif Hussain Langroo asked him to arrange money, claiming that it could be used to secure SPO positions, MY Bharat work and other opportunities.
Waheed further alleged that around Rs 8.25 lakh was involved, including money he claimed was taken for permissions and accommodation during the Amarnath Yatra, besides expenses related to furniture for the BJP office that he said had been arranged on his guarantee.
“I have already submitted a complaint to the SSP Anantnag. I want the administration to conduct a proper inquiry and bring all the concerned people together so that it can be established whether money was taken for permissions and other work and where that money went,” Waheed said.
These allegations have not been independently established.
BJP Anantnag district president Rakesh Kaul said, “I apologise on behalf of my team. Our party leadership has already said that an apology should be offered. The suspended members have also apologised. There is a difference between a slip of the tongue and saying something deliberately. What happened brought a bad name to the party, and therefore we took action.”
On the corruption allegations, Kaul said, “Allegations keep coming, but first ask who actually gives permission. Permissions are issued by the administration. The Deputy Commissioner is the competent authority. A permission does not come from Rakesh Kaul or any BJP office-bearer.”
On the impact of the controversy on the party, Kaul said, “The party will not be damaged by this. Allegations are made even against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the party has continued to win elections. The party does not get damaged by the actions of a few persons.”
There is also no publicly available evidence so far to establish that the BJP suspended the nine members because they had raised corruption complaints.
The controversy has also raised questions about the role of Sofi Mohammad Yousuf, who reportedly led the rally.
The BJP has suspended the nine office-bearers, but no similar action against Yousuf has been announced so far.
This has raised questions within political circles about who organised the rally and who should be held responsible for the slogans.
At the same time, simply being present at a rally does not establish that a person approved or raised a particular slogan.
The Anantnag episode has now gone beyond the slogan controversy.
The BJP is facing criticism over the language used against Kashmiri women, while the suspended workers have opened another front by alleging internal disputes and corruption.
The party now has to deal with two separate issues: the fallout from the controversial slogans and the allegations made by its own suspended members.
The corruption allegations, however, need to be independently verified. The BJP has also not publicly accepted the allegations made by the suspended workers.
For now, the incident has put the Anantnag BJP unit under the spotlight.
