Srinagar:

Radical jailed separatist leader Sarjan Ahmad Wagay is set to take on former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah from the Ganderbal constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections. His nomination papers have been accepted from two assembly constituencies – Ganderbal and Beerwah. 

Omar Abdullah, however, on Friday alleged that the BJP and central government were putting up the jailed separatist against him so that he would be defeated in assembly elections.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the NC’s vice president was defeated by Engineer Rashid, who is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail on terror funding charges.

“Leaders in Delhi dislike me. But the fact that they hate me so much is getting evident to me. Why are candidates in jail only contesting against me,” Mr Abdullah said.

He said he now smells a rat even in Engineer Rashid’s Lok Sabha victory from the Baramulla parliament seat. 

“I never saw a plot in the victory of Engineer Rashid, who had contested elections earlier too. But when the news came about Sarjan Barkati contesting from Ganderbal, I could see a plot,” he said.

“Some agencies felt that I may also contest from Beerwah, where I won the last time. He (Barkati) was first asked to file from Ganderbal and then from Beerwah. I circumvented them and filed from Budgam instead of Beerwa” he said.

The separatist cleric, also known as Sarjan Barkati, was the face of 2016 violent agitations in Kashmir after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in 2016.

In his speeches, he openly incited youth to pick up guns, asking them to become suicide bombers. He also used to say that guns were the only solution and called for attacks on symbols of India.

He was first arrested in 2016 and a case was filed against him under the Public Safety Act. He was again arrested last year and is facing charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

His wife is also in jail on terror funding charges.