Top politicians of the region, vying for power, are engaged in a relentless game of mudslinging and even they have now started bringing religion into it. They carelessly hurl accusations at one another, their words dripping with venom and malice.

National Conference Leader Omar Abdullah| Credit: PTI Photo

By Zulfikar Majid

Srinagar: With campaigning for Lok Sabha elections in full swing in Kashmir, a different kind of storm is brewing as the air is thick with promises and accusations.

Top politicians of the region, vying for power, are engaged in a relentless game of mudslinging and even they have now started bringing religion into it. They carelessly hurl accusations at one another, their words dripping with venom and malice.

But amidst their verbal sparring, they conveniently avoided touching upon the issues that plagued the common people of Kashmir.

Last week former chief minister and National Conference vice-president, Omar Abdullah, during an election rally in central Kashmir’s Budgam district said that the “A team B team of BJP may get a certificate of election but they will not get a certificate of Jannat (paradise).”

He was referring to J&K People’s Conference (PC) led by Sajjad Lone, J&K Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) led by Ghulam Nabi Azad, who are perceived to be proxies of the BJP.

This story was originally published in deccanherald.com. Read the full story here.