J-K Assembly polls: Sheikh Rashid's party proxy of BJP, claims Mehbooba

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday accused jailed MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid's Awami Ittehad Party of being a proxy of the BJP, and warned the people of Jammu and Kashmir not to come under the influence of such parties.

Her remarks came a day after PDP candidate from south Kashmir's Shopian assembly segment Yawar Shafi Banday was injured in an alleged attack by the workers of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), which is led by Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, in Balpora area of Shopian.

"Our candidate was going to his constituency, some workers associated with AIP assaulted them, even our candidate Yawar Banday was beaten and he is fighting for his life, his ribs broken, his condition is serious," Mehbooba claimed while addressing a press conference in Khanabal area of Anantnag district.

Rashid defeated former chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency earlier this year.

The PDP chief questioned how the A