Known Separatist Leader Bilal Gani Lone Is Going Mainstream In Kashmir

By Harihar Swarup

Kashmir’s politics is likely to witness a major change, Separatist leader Bilal Gani Lone is preparing to bid farewell to separatism and enter the mainstream politics.. Bilal is elder son of Abdul Gani Lone, the Hurriyat Conference leader who founded the People Conference. Considered a moderate who had wide support across north Kashmir, Abdul Lone was thrice elected from Handwara in Kupwara district before militancy erupted in Kashmir. He was assassinated on May 21, 2002, during a rally at the Srinagar Eidgah.

According to sources, Bilal would soon tour Kupwara and other districts in north Kashmir to reach out to his father’s loyalists and shore up support for his electoral plunge. The Centre has promised to hold the assembly polls early next year after the electoral rolls are revised by the end of   this month.

Bilal joined Hurriyat Conference after the hardliner Syed Ali Geelani and his supporters demanded that the people’s Conference be expelled from the separatist grouping for fielding proxy candidates in the 2002 polls. Sajad Lone, Bilal’s younger brother, had by then become the head of the People’s Conference. When Hurriyat chairman Molvi Abbas Ansari rejected Geelani’s demand, the Hurriyat split into moderate and hardliner, Bilal joined the moderate camp while Sajad quit separatist politics and contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from north Kashmir. In 2014, Sajad won from Handwara and his People’s Conference bagged a second seat in Kupwara. He later joined—BJP coalition and became a minister.

Sources said Bilal decided to enter mainstream politics after Sajad refused to field his elder daughter from Trehgam, a seat created after the delimitation of assembly seats. “Sajad flatly refused to accept Bilal’s request”, said sources.

Apparently, Sajad had   already picked the candidate for Trehgam, Handwara and Kupwara where, he believes his party’s chances are strong. If the people’s Conference can win three seats in the district, it would be able to bargain hard in a coalition government.

But opponents can paint the People’s Conference as BJP ally. It would harm the party’s prospects, given the anger and frustration among the people over the union government’s August 2019 decision to take away Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and reduce it to a union territory.

Sources said Bilal decided to enter mainstream politics after Sajad refused to field his daughter from Trehgam, a seat created after delimitation of assembly seats. “Sajad flatly refused to accept Bilal’s request”, said sources.

Apparently, Sajad had already picked the candidate for Trehgam, Handwara and Kupwara where he believes his party’s chances are strong. If People’s conference can win three seats in the district, it would be able to bargain hard in a coalition government.

But opponents can paint the People’s Conference as a BJP ally. It would hard harm the party’s prospects, given the anger and frustration among the people over union government’s August 2019 decision to take away Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and reduce it to a Union territory.

Sources close to Bilal said he would seek votes in the name of his father.  Addressing a gathering in Kupwara, he said he himself is a political worker, not a leader. “Any political worker who leaves people to their fate in the present circumstances is not fair”, he said. “I have some plans that will move forward, only if you support me”. Bilal said “some difficult decisions would have to be considered”.   There are a lot of issues but the key question is; Are you going to walk along with me”? “Inshallah”, responded the crowd. “I will give you a call”, said Bilal. “and if your response is good, then we would walk together from one village to another.”

Bilal had, in 2019 changed the name of his party from the People’s Conference to the People’s Independent Movement. He said the move was necessitated “to end the confusion” with Sajad-led People’s Conference. “I was very close to my father and, to avoid confusion in taking forward my father’s legacy, it was inevitable that I change the name of the party.” (IPA Service)

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