Ahead of the Assembly elections, former minister and veteran leader Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali joined the BJP on Sunday, saying he joined the party with his commitment to peace and development in the region.
Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Jitendra Singh, along with BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh and Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina, welcomed Ali into the party fold at the headquarters in Jammu. They emphasised that his entry would boost the party's grassroots-level presence in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ali, accompanied by scores of his supporters and leaders, expressed his satisfaction in joining the BJP, citing his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts for bringing peace and development to the region.
"I have chosen to join the BJP and Modi ji and Shah sahib to steer our region towards progress, development and prosperity," Ali told reporters.
He emphasised a departure from emotive politics often advocated by leaders from the valley, and said "We do not have anything to do with emotional politics preached by political leaders from the valley."
Former vice president of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, Ali recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss regional issues and seek central support.
He highlighted the need for enhanced tourism initiatives in the Rajouri-Poonch area, underscoring its potential as a tourist destination comparable to Kashmir.
"I was in the process of finding a new path for serving the people of Jammu and Kashmir and finally found the BJP the right party to join to further the cause of the people of the region through it," he said.
He further said he wanted to bring all top BJP leaders to the Rajouri-Poonch belt, so they could hear first-hand the problems faced by the people.
"Yesterday, I met with the Union home minister to discuss our demands for Rajouri-Poonch, particularly in the area of tourism. Despite its beauty similar to that of Kashmir, the region sees hardly any tourists - domestic or foreign. No one visits our 'seven lake wonderland', and we want to transform it into a prominent tourist destination," he said.
Criticising Kashmir-based parties for allegedly exploiting regional sentiments, Ali blamed them for the narrative of fear propagated over the decades and advocated for closer integration with Delhi's power centre to accelerate development initiatives.
"For over 70 years, we were told that if Muslims wanted to survive in Jammu, they had to vote for the National Conference. The leaders misled us by instilling fear among the people with this narrative. But why should we distance ourselves from Delhi? If Delhi is the power centre, why should we stay away from it? I joined the BJP to bring my region onto the path of development," he said.
Responding to criticisms of BJP as a "Hindu party", Ali said, "Our decision to join the BJP does not alter our faith. The party has delivered tangible improvements in peace and development across the region."
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs, praised Ali's decision, and said it would fortify the party's local presence and address public expectations.
"We want tourism, not terrorism. People should support us. You have to decide whom you want to vote for peace, development and prosperity of the region," he said.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Chugh and Raina also welcomed him into party fold and said that it will strengthen party in the region.
Ali, who is an advocate, won from the Darhal Assembly constituency of the Rajouri district in the 2008 and 2014 Assembly elections on a PDP ticket. He served as a Cabinet minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government from 2015 to 2018.
The coalition government collapsed in June 2018 after the national party pulled out of the government. Many PDP leaders led by former minister Altaf Bukhari subsequently founded the Apni Party in 2020 and Ali was one of its founding members.
The Election Commission on Friday announced Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1 and said the counting of votes would take place on October 4.
