Changing colors: BJP goes green in Kashmir ahead of polls

Srinagar: The right wing Hindu Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), symbolized by the saffron color, is bleeding green in Kashmir, apparently for the upcoming parliamentary polls

The party has extensively used green color in its poll campaigning material like posters and used Urdu language in an apparent effort to attract voters since local population identifies with the shade.

The green color has Islamic connotations and is widely used in the Mosques or any other Muslim places of worship in Kashmir.

So far BJP had stayed away from using green color flag and used its traditional Saffron shade depicting the right wing Hindu ideology of the party and its ideological fountain head-the RSS

“We are not averse to the green color,” senior state BJP leader, Dr Mohammad Rafi told The Kashmir Press.

“Green is a symbol of peace. We are using the color in our poll campaigning material since it symbolizes peace which will bring peace, progress and development in Kashmir”.

He said BJP as a political party is reality in Kashmir now.

“We have never dreamed of even opening an office in Kashmir,” Rafi, who is in charge of the local BJP’s grievance cell, said.

“But our party is now taking roots in Kashmir. We have local support, which is growing. We also conduct political rallies and meeting. It is unbelievable that how we have grown over the years. More people are joining us. We are slowly becoming a challenge to other political parties here”.

He said that apart from peace, the green color was bringing some kind of local touch with which people were identifying themselves.

BJP’s candidate for Srinagar parliament constituency, Khalid Jehangir, is one among the noted party leaders whose campaign posters bear the green color, featuring him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“There is no specific reason for choosing the green color on posters,” Jehangir told The Kashmir Press.

Asked what prompted BJP to use green in its election campaigning protesters and other material, the BJP leader said:

“It is one of the colors of national flag. The green color in our poll campaigning material signifies that very fact. That is why we have used it”.

Not only green flag, the BJP workers have been using recitations of Quran and other Muslim religious symbols to attract Kashmiri voters, who mainly belong t Islamic faith during this poll season.

On internet, the social media users are also debating the change from Saffron to green color in BJP’s publicity material.

“BJP goes green from Saffron in Kashmir,” one of the social media users wrote

National Conference leader and former chief minister, Omar Abdullah too commented on the usage of color by the BJP for its poll campaigning

“The saffron of the BJP turns green when it reaches Kashmir. I’m not sure whether the party truly believes it can fool voters when it makes a fool of itself like this. Why can’t they show their true colours while campaigning in the valley?” he tweeted

The saffron of the BJP turns green when it reaches Kashmir. I’m not sure whether the party truly believes it can fool voters when it makes a fool of itself like this. Why can’t they show their true colours while campaigning in the valley? #Election2019 pic.twitter.com/N9lA2t40Qp — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 4, 2019

Former PDP leader and finance minister, during the PDP-BJP regime, Haseeb drabu too noted the change.

He tried to take a pot-shot at both the PDP and BJP through the green BJP posters.

“In Kashmir the colours are changing and how! Such are the political colours of elections. How saffron has been greened! Or is it the PDP has left an indelible mark on the BJP palette?” Drabu tweeted.

In Kashmir the colours are changing and how! Such are the political colours of elections. How saffron has been greened! Or is it the PDP has left an indelible mark on the BJP palette? pic.twitter.com/3kVjzROwq2 — Haseeb Drabu (@HaseebDrabu) April 4, 2019