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| After all migrants cannot be a permanent address | | | Dr. Romesh Raina
Even after 23 years of living an exiled life, displaced minorities have not reconciled to the idea of giving up on the place of their birth. They still nourish the idea of settling and building their future in Kashmir afresh. The road ahead does not look easy for the people who have suffered for so long. The ensuing battle is tough and thorny because the rival, though considered ideologically misguided, is also imbued with the passion for religion to dominate the social life. The rival also is out to reform the society and impose his version of faith. This throws light not only on Kashmir's political reality but on the trends that are working against the direction of history in flagrant denial of the aspirations of displaced people. It ranges from neglect, irrelevance and suffering the spillover effects of the forced migration. Currently the initiative is aimed at confronting the marginalization and exclusion of the minorities from the mainstream political life of the place.
The main trajectory of Kashmir politics seeks to isolate the displaced minorities from every conceivable area of socio-political and cultural stream. The prevailing attitude is rooted in the active process of their social exclusivism which is impacting them in a big way. Rebuilding and reconstructing their societal foundations are therefore trapped in the politics of secessionism and fundamentalism. This reality in J&K is defined by the happenings in Kashmir and it has become a strong polarizing factor. This is because everything in Kashmir is being viewed through hard belief of grievances which fail to separate the issues of concern from politics. Such uncomfortable truth represents the Kashmir - centric perspective which influences the shaping of the contours of the political ideology. Relook at this reality reveals a narrow perspective in which facts are left unattended.
Even more than two decades after the exodus from Kashmir, the minority question is still looming large on our consciousness. Far from being addressed it still continues to be pushed under the carpet and neglected. Whether it is the larger question of their importance in the electoral politics or just political irrelevance, it is clear that it continues to be an area of contention even today. This issue has ideological roots giving rise to socio-political consequences. Though ideology tends to bind the people and the communities at large, yet the dominant atmosphere of insecurity and terror is a stark reality with unwelcome prospect and unpredictable consequences. It contributes to the construction of combatant brand of politics which has subtly changed the nature of political discourse in Kashmir. This has resulted in nourishing a mindset of refusing to accept the minorities and their rights. Its impact was visible on the mainstream politics which failed to accommodate the urges, aspirations, hopes and fears of the displaced minorities. Above all it is yet to come out with a roadmap of their political management. In an era of democracy every marginalized social group has a right to struggle for its place under the sun.
On a closer and objective examination, the displaced minorities are the history's permanent victims. This factor exists across the entire spectrum of Kashmir politics affecting both its body and structure in the process. This simple fact needs to be seen and understood from the way the ensuing battle between secular democracy and separatism continues to remain at the center stage even today. From the context of happenings in Kashmir, separatism is a convulsive assertion of authority and a divisive construct staking an exclusive claim on Kashmir and its politics. It has fundamentally altered the whole scenario where an apprehension looms large that the minorities might be forced to become territoryless, voiceless and rightless people permanently. This situation is easy to explain as its ultimate goal is to protect the ideological interests in order to assume disproportionate influence and authority to control the public opinion for political purposes. Unfortunately the separatists interest in the politics has remained peculiar and by no means representative of public ideas and thinking though it has created a constituency for itself on the ground. It has also occupied a significant place and role in the politics of Kashmir. The change however is not just political but it is behavioral as well. It has brought with it the uneasy exclusivism and awareness of being different. In our deeper understanding of the phenomenon, it is absolutely incompatible with the principles of liberal secular democracy as it prevents yet again the restoration of the plural identity of Kashmir by minority participation.
The most obvious consequence of this climate of insecurity is uncertainty about their future which stems from the process of minority exclusion collective identity of Kashmir. If there is one thing that epitomizes all that has gone wrong with them it is the impression that they are probably the only people without a permanent address which indeed is an unusual phenomenon. It has created a dangerous ever deepening disconnect and gulf between them and Kashmir impeding their re-building, re-construction and re-integration as a consequence. It remains the focus
of attention today because of its pernicious role. This is partly because Kashmir either is seen as a dispute between India and Pakistan or as a struggle of kashmiris for self determination. It has become instrumental in encouraging to do away with the presence of minority symbols from the politics. The entire exercise is being conducted within the rubric of secularism. Targetting the secular democratic ethos has been integral to the strategic orientation of politics of separatism
With all its brutal consequences, a clear fallout is the existential threat. Though it is difficult to say as to what holds good for the future but there is a constant struggle to uphold its right to exist. It remains at the core of the minority psyche. The powerful reality of this apprehension cannot be ignored. The situation gets even more formidable and dangerous when the minority question gets mired into the political and power intricacies of the state. Arithmetic being the key component and necessary evil of today's electoral democracy in the world, including India, the vote bank strength and game of numbers has relegated minorities into a category characterized by non-dominance and powerlessness in the power structure of the state.
The displacement, its ramifications and impact as a whole have kept the minorities on an edge all these years with all the energies of their struggle remaining focused on Kashmir. Now at the end of two decades, these displaced people face the prospect of re-connection with Kashmir. This fact may even prove to be a catalytic agent for making a bold game changing move. However to propagate this vision there is a need to face the ground realities and the pace of change.
Understanding the minorities issue through their prism is therefore important. The position of minorities in a representative democracy is a key question. It assumes significance to shape the perception in order to evaluate this issue in a new light. Driven by the harsh realities of exodus and displacement, the concern has to be measured by how to respond to the existential challenges of the day. The challenges mostly come from battling the separatist thought process and the emergence of new politics as a consequence. Fundamentally the manner in which the changes have taken place is part of a predicament where people are forced to seek shelter under the larger political distinctiveness of the place. The sequence of events symbolize unfavourable political circumstances which have adversely impacted the minority survival. These intricacies make for a complicated electoral math which has affected their electoral prospects.
To build a well considered momentum on the issue, there is an imperative need to recognize the political rights of the minorities which means their political protection through constitutional means. As a step towards it, creation of a significant role for them in the mainstream politics is a key indicator of restoring the minority space. Driven by this agenda the role of serious secular constituency of Kashmir comes into play.
In the final analysis, it is important to retain Kashmir as their core constituency. It will require a multifaceted approach. This situation presents many opportunities. If analyzed with clinical objectivity, the spirit to remain connected with Kashmir dominates the displaced minority thought process. Recognizing that will be hard and slow especially in the face of significant challenges from the separatist ideologies. To my mind it will require an uninterrupted democratic process to defeat this separatist induced extremism. It will constitute a major step in re-establishing the relations without any kinks. This could possibly be the best response to their political isolation, after all migrants cannot be a permanent address. |
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