The Congress has fielded controversial leader Chaudhary Lal Singh from the Basohli constituency in Kathua for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections next month.

Singh, earlier a minister in the BJP-led government, gained notoriety in 2018 when he took part in a rally organised by local Hindutva leaders in support of the gang-rape and murder suspects of an eight-year-old nomadic tribal girl in Kathua.

During the rally, Singh questioned the police investigation and described the rape as a conspiracy aimed at Hindus while backing the accused, Parvesh Kumar Sanji Ram, Deepak Khajuria, and Parvesh Kumar.

His comments ignited nationwide outrage and became a significant point of criticism against the BJP administration in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to reports, the girl was abducted, subjected to gang rape for a week inside a temple, strangled, and her head struck twice with a stone to ensure her death.

The police investigation revealed, “The unconscious body of the victim was moved to a nearby forest where she was raped again before being murdered.”

Three months after the horrific incident, Rahul Gandhi, then-President of Congress, led a candle march to India Gate with his sister Priyanka Vadra. On the same day, BJP minister Choudhary Lal Singh was compelled to resign due to backlash over his participation in a rally supporting the accused.

After his resignation, Singh founded his own political group, the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party. However, six years later, on March 20, the former Congressman returned to the party after a decade. The Congress is aiming to consolidate votes in the Hindu-majority area where they aim to challenge the BJP’s dominance.

In 2014, Lal Singh had resigned from the Congress after being denied a ticket from Udhampur. The two-time Udhampur MP then joined the BJP and became a minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government.

The decision by Congress to nominate Singh has been heavily criticised, with some accusing the party of sacrificing its principles for electoral advantage. The National Conference and the PDP have opposed any association with Lal Singh. Opposition parties, including the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) led by Ghulam Nabi Azad, have also voiced their disapproval.

“Utterly shameful for Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to welcome – Lal Singh who supported the rapists of 8-year-old Asifa. This betrays the core principles and ideology of Congress. It validates our decision to leave a party that harbors supporters of rapists. Shame on you, Congress!” DPAP chief spokesperson wrote on X. “The Congress is exposed for its ideology by using supporters of rapists in elections.”

Meanwhile, the Congress tried to downplay his return, stating that Singh’s actions in 2018 were a “mistake”.

“I accept that it was a mistake to support them (Kathua accused). But if you see after that, since he left BJP, he has spoken against BJP’s policies towards Jammu and Kashmir,” Congress spokesperson Sheikh Aamir said, according to a report in ThePrint.

“It’s a welcome step that he returned to the party. He has understood it was a mistake to leave the Congress. He has returned to his home.”