Engineer Rashid, MP from Baramulla seat of Jammu and Kashmir, participated in Aaj Tak’s special program ‘Panchayat Aaj Tak’ and answered many questions. Engineer Rashid, who was released from Tihar Jail a day earlier, told how he spent his days in jail. He said that in this election he is neither with BJP nor with the All India Alliance. Engineer Rashid also responded to the allegations of vote cutting being made by local parties.
Engineer Rashid said, ‘The whole country thought that Engineer Rashid is dead and will never return, but my return means that truth has won. NC, PDP say that they have come to divide votes, I will tell them that this Kashmir is not their father’s property. By saying this, they are questioning the understanding of the voters. I am not happy about anyone’s defeat or my victory, I am happy that my victory is the defeat of Modi ji’s ‘Naya Kashmir’ vision.
‘Jail is mini India’
He said, ‘Modi ji did a lot of wrong with Kashmiris on 5th August 2019. Those who talked about Ram Rajya stopped the breathing and water of Kashmiris. Kashmiris gave them this message in the form of my victory that Modi ji don’t be afraid, don’t scare me. My people are my strength. I hope that our people will do so well in the future that PDP, BJP, NC and other small parties will realize how much they have drowned in water.’
Rashid said, ‘Jail is a mini India. I saw people from all over the country there. The respect that people of every religion gave me there, my seven generations cannot repay their favor. The day I won the election, my non-Muslim friends distributed sweets worth 2 lakhs in Tihar Jail. I wish this was the real Hindustan. I am contesting the election because I have to show PM Modi that Kashmiris are rejecting his bad policies. Whatever you did is not acceptable to Kashmiris.’
‘Nobody thought about my Sita’
He said, ‘On 18 January 2024, every colleague of ours gets 5 minutes of phone time every day, that too was cut off for me, you can check the jail records. I was put in the ward for the insane and the disabled, my one-time meal was stopped. Although that administration was very good but it was their compulsion. There was pressure on them. I also want Ramrajya to come in India but the real Ramrajya, not Modi ji’s Ramrajya.’
Rashid said, ‘I was worried about Sita ji but I did not think about my Sita, what has she been doing for the last five and a half years. Modi ji says Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, what kind of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Tell them that Kashmiris are not a part of our Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. You are treating us like a colony. Modi ji, don’t do these things. We are sympathetic to India. We want this country to become a superpower, to become the world’s largest economy by 2047.’
‘If I win, how will I cut votes?’
He was asked, where do you get money from. The opposition says that money is being received from Delhi. They say that there is something fishy. Rashid replied, ‘There is nothing fishy in the matter, the whole thing is fishy. I have been in Tihar jail for five and a half years. My phone was also switched off from January 18, the day I became an MP, I came to know that I have become an MP. I was completely cut off from society. The person who has been in UAPA for five and a half years, my aunt passed away, I did not get parole. How do I know what kind of stories happen behind the scenes.’
He said, ‘Those who are accusing that Delhi supports me from behind the scenes means that they know how Delhi is run, how money is given. We do not need money, those who are with us do not need money. Who gave me money when I was in jail. People say that he is cutting votes, he is BJP’s agent… I have won, so how can I cut votes?’
With whom, Congress or BJP?
He was asked, how are your election preparations. If you form the government in Jammu and Kashmir, will you stay with the India alliance or will you not go with anyone? Rashid replied, ‘When I went out and saw, I felt that people are ready, I don’t have to make any preparations. Both of these are thug alliances. There is no difference between Rahul Gandhi and Modi ji’s alliance. The only difference is that Modi ji attacks Kashmiris from the front and these Congress people attack from behind. If Rahul ji and his India alliance say that if they get majority in the Parliament, they will bring back Article 370, then I will support them on all 90 seats.’
What did he say on the allegations of local parties?
He was asked, a narrative is being created by the local parties that why Engineer Rashid has been released now, when he had his own Lok Sabha election, he was not released then. An attempt is being made to associate you with the BJP. How will you counter that?
He replied, ‘They are not local parties. They just have brands attached to them and everything is a mess inside. Some are following BJP, some are following Congress. It is a matter of regret. These people raise questions on the judiciary. Secondly, I became MP, Omar Abdullah lost the election, Madam lost the election, now they are telling me that I have come to cut votes. I am saying that you are cutting my votes. You sit at home, people have defeated you. Don’t contest elections.’
‘I felt sorry for Omar Abdullah’
Rashid was asked, did you expect to win the election? He replied, ‘I had hope in my people. Some people say that I have received sympathy votes. I contested the MP election in 2019 as well. I lost by just 24-25 thousand votes. I had taken a lead in five areas but on the day of polling in my area, a youth was murdered as part of a well-planned conspiracy so that the voting percentage would go down. Otherwise, I would have reached the Parliament in 2019 itself.’
Rashid said, ‘When my son filled the form, Umar sahab said that if only I had known earlier, I would not have contested the elections. A few days later, we won the elections, then he said that this is the victory of an Islamic fundamentalist. I want to tell them that I am proud of being an Islamic and no one can be an Islamic fundamentalist. They should first decide whether I am with the BJP, am an Islamic or a fundamentalist.’
He said, ‘Omar sahab took off his cap and begged for votes, I felt sorry for him, I did not like it at all. A chief minister, whose father was a CM two-three times, whose grandfather gifted Kashmir to India, is now begging to become an MLA. At the same time, engineer Rashid’s son and his people come out and make me win the election from jail.’
Did you meet Kejriwal in jail?
Engineer Rashid was asked, ‘Did you meet Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Jail?’ In response, he laughed and said, ‘Do you want to file another case?’ Rashid said, ‘No, he was in another jail. Why are you associating me with him? He is a very big man. How can I be that important? I have never met him.’
Follow us On Social Media Google News and Twitter/X