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Basharat Peer in Kulgam, Anantnag
Red buntings depicting hammer and sickle hang across the roads in Kulgam town and adjacent villages in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.
The chief of the J&K unit of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Yousuf Tarigami, is contesting the assembly election from this area, and everyone is talking about his prospects.
One is tempted to believe that a red revolution is sweeping across this place, which was a hotbed of militancy and stronghold of the Jamaat-e-Islami party till the mid-nineties.
But that is an illusion. It is just another chapter in Kashmiri politics, where local issues and personal ties, and not ideology, dominate.
Tarigami is a local, whose association with the Leftist movement in Kashmir spans a few decades. But unlike the cadre-based Left parties elsewhere, Tarigami is almost a one-man army, although this time he has fielded candidates from six constituencies in Anantnag and Pulwama districts. He is a man who exists in state politics only on the strength of his charisma.
Wearing a Dockers shirt and a beige khaki trouser, puffing a cigar, he talks to a group of villagers near his ancestral village Tarigam. He talks about the importance of an opposition to the "Sheikhs" [National Conference founder Sheikh Abdullah's family] and "Babas" [People's Democratic Party leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti].
"The commoners need to stand up. How long is it going to be benefit the Abdullahs and the Muftis," he says.
"The PDP is taking people for a ride. Their election campaign is full of religious overtones. The loudspeakers from their campaign vehicles announce, 'Save Islam, vote out Communists'. Similarly, it is using a green flag and an inkpot and pen to exploit separatist sentiment," he adds.
In Kashmir, green is associated with Islam and Pakistan. The pen and inkpot were the symbols of the Muslim United Front during the assembly election in 1987. Many leader of the MUF went on to become militants and separatists after the NC-Congress combine came into power.
Tarigami, who was elected from Kulgam constituency in 1996 after the NC decided not to file a candidate against him, is popular because of his performance, not ideology. "We will vote for Tarigami, not because he is a communist, but for the work he did for our area," says Altaf Hussain, a chemist in Kulgam.
However, if given a chance, the people here would abstain from voting. "We do not want to vote. The elections are not going to solve the Kashmir issue. But if the security forces bring us out like in the 1996 elections, then we will vote for Tarigami," says Abdul Rahman, a farmer from Bugama village.
He says there is no pressure from the militants. "We have not seen any militants for a few years."
However, Tarigami says militants recently killed three of his workers. "But I am hopeful that people would come out and vote for me."
There are also some people who are not happy with him. "He takes care of his own men. He has not visited us in the last five years. We are boycotting the elections," says Riyaz Ahmad, a youth from Bachhur village, which is known for its separatist sentiments.
Kulgam town closed town when Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah addressed a small gathering a few days back. After visiting these places, one gets the feeling that voter turnout would be low here. And whatever the turnout, it seems advantage Tarigami.
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