Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 24: On Sunday, a significant development unfolded in Delhi. It marked a tectonic shift in the discourse around how "majority community mobilizes itself and assert its political will". A group of about 100 prominent activists and intellectuals, which included spiritual gurus, journalists, industrialists, writers etc got together to brainstorm and decide on a "Charter of Demands".
A list of demands was prepared during the meeting. It will be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi "in the hopes of the PM taking note".
During the deliberations, it was decided that "as the inheritor, custodian and trustee of the Indic civilization based on the ethos of Sanatana Dharma the Indian State has bounden civilizational responsibility to protect, preserve and promote the Indic civilization".
The "Charter of Demands", among other things, said: "To avoid the genocide of like that of Kashmiri Pandits, the charter demands the central government the tripartite division of J&K into 3 States of Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu. The charter also demands the abrogation of article 370, along with the repeal of the Constitution (Application to J&K) Order, 1954" (read Article 35-A).
The "Charter of Demands" also said: "It is time to "end of legal and institutionalized discrimination of a particular community, which is against the spirit of the equality of citizens irrespective of religious identity". This group 100 activists from across the nation demanded that "Dr Satyapal Singh's Private Member's Bill No. 226 of 2016 pending in Lok Sabha for amending Articles 26 to 30 of the Constitution should be passed forthwith in the forthcoming Parliament Session, to ensure equal rights to the majority community on par with others."
These equal rights were demanded in "matters of running educational institutions, removal of government control of 'temples' and restoring their management to the society and promoting and preserving heritage and culture".
Another demand which was included in the charter was the "enactment of the Freedom of Religion Act by the Central Government so the traditional practices of Hinduism, its culture and symbols can be protected from unwarranted interference".
One thing appears quite clear: The Indian political opinion is changing with each passing day as far as Jammu & Kashmir and minorities in the state are concerned. People across the nation have finally realized that Kashmir doesn't mean the State of Jammu & Kashmir and that the people of Kashmir, who constitute the state's majority community, do not represent the general will people of the state. |
