North India Statesman
Political friction between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party escalated across Jammu and Kashmir as the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) staged fierce demonstrations outside its party headquarters at Shaheedi Chowk in Jammu. Led by JKPCC President Tariq Hameed Karra and working president Raman Bhalla, scores of Congress office-bearers and party workers hit the streets, raising slogans and burning symbolic effigies to protest a controversial social media creative and poster circulated by the BJP’s regional apparatus. The contentious graphic displayed photographs of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, juxtaposed alongside images of known terrorists under divisive captions.
The Core Trigger: Divisive Graphic Juxtaposing Opposition Leaders with Terrorists
The flashpoint centers around a multi-frame poster shared across digital handles that drew direct visual comparisons between prominent opposition figures and armed militants. The top frame depicted Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav under the caption “Yeh Jati Poochtey Hai” (They ask about caste), followed by a middle frame showing Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS leaders with “Yeh Bhasha Poochtey Hai” (They ask about language). The bottom frame concluded by featuring photographs of armed terrorists with the caption “Yeh Dharam Poochtey Hai” (They ask about religion).
Addressing media personnel during the demonstration, Tariq Hameed Karra condemned the poster as a malicious, deliberate attempt to equate mainstream democratic leaders with militancy. “The display was orchestrated to create a false impression of links between opposition leaders and terrorism,” Karra asserted, emphasizing that the BJP is resorting to smear campaigns because it cannot counter the growing resonance of Congress’s ground-level outreach.
Karra Invokes Freedom Movement and IC-814 Kandahar Hijacking
Mounting a sharp counter-offensive on the question of patriotism, the JKPCC chief asserted that the Congress and the Gandhi family require no certificates of nationalism from the BJP. Karra pointed out that Rahul Gandhi belongs to a lineage where two former Prime Ministers—Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi—sacrificed their lives defending the unity and sovereignty of India.
Turning the tables on the ruling party’s counter-terrorism credentials, Karra brought up the 1999 Indian Airlines IC-814 hijacking episode during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, reminding that three dreaded terrorists—including Jaish-e-Mohammad founder Masood Azhar—were formally escorted to Kandahar and freed by the then administration. Karra further accused the saffron party’s ideological forebears of having a compromised record during India’s freedom struggle, while also alleging past regional associations of figures like Talib Hussain who were subsequently apprehended by security forces.
Protests Escalate Amid Ongoing ‘Chaupal Pe Charcha’ Campaign
The aggressive street agitation in Jammu unfolded alongside the Congress party’s ongoing mass-contact campaign, “Chaupal Pe Charcha,” which has been mobilizing public gatherings across districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The initiative has focused extensively on bread-and-butter issues, including the restoration of full statehood, soaring unemployment, transparency in recruitment examinations, power tariffs, and price rise. Congress leadership maintained that the BJP’s controversial graphic is an attempt to polarize public discourse and divert attention from governance lapses ahead of the upcoming legislative sessions in the Union Territory. Karra affirmed that the party will take the protests to all district headquarters across Jammu and Kashmir until an unconditional apology is tendered.
