| Prayagnath, Baltal, Kousarnag are beads in thread to polarization? | | NC sings separatists 'raga', Cong, PDP play safe, Saffronites hide and don't seek | | Kunal Shrivatsa
JAMMU, Aug 6: Come Assembly elections and states starts seeking out for issues to make inroads into public domains with promises and assurances, generally on development, unemployment, roads, power, water etc.
However, Jammu and Kashmir, this time round sits on volatile volcanoes of communal disintegration, many incidents so far have been reported till date after the Lok Sabha polls came to a close.
Amidst all this chaotic and anarchical situation having brewed up, the role of prominent political parties, three national viz, Congress, BJP and BSP and six regional like NC, PDP, JSM, Panthers Party, People’s Conference and Awami National Conference seems to be quite bizarre, and sometimes even wary for remaining mute spectators.
The three recent sensitive incidents occurred in the state that could have snowballed into the communal frenzy among the masses, simmering till now though, are real indications of advent of regional divide of the state through polarization on which the state polity is either sitting calm, or some among them fanning the incidents to gain vote counts for the upcoming elections.
The Baba Prayagnath in Bishnah, a Hindu Dangal site turned two communities coming face off with each other almost igniting the communal tension followed by Baltal fire in the Amarnath yatra camps where ponywallas (particular community labour class) were held responsible for igniting the inferno did not douse so far when the Kousarnag yatra of Kashmiri Pandits in Shopian district of Kashmir has given air to another fresh controversy.
While the separatists and even the ruling National Conference has taken a hard stance not to let the yatra happen, citing reason of environmental degradation, the issue however is being seen through a larger prism of disbelief by the common man who is understanding the turn of events shaping in state, apparently leading to polarization and communal divide of two regions, viz Jammu and Kashmir.
The day of Assembly elections, just at a stone's throw away, under such situations is thus all set to be influenced by communalized agendas which, besides denting the harmony of the state to deeper extents are sure to give divided vote to communally tinted parties of the state.
National Conference has put up an apparent countenance to these developing situation, Congress and PDP tread tortoise pace, while Bhartiya Janta Party being quite vocal and surcharged to clinch 44+ has turned to be silent spectators except executing their responsibility over the issue through press notes strategies by petty small timers in the party.
To take up the recent threat on Kousarnag Yatra, conspicuously raised by All Party Migrant Coordination Committee - there are two aspects attached to this pilgrimage (misnomer till date as no KP family, group or even a single soul ever visited the site after 1990, apparently due to terrorism in Valley which is believed to be a holy place for Pandits to execute religious rites of their dead ones since the place is revered in same belief as Purmandal is held in Jammu) which has brought the issue to snowball into controversy.
First--- while the attendance to the place terminated circa 1988-90, no soul ever visited the place though even the peace and normalcy was restored in the state after 2005-06 onwards. Yatra, if it was before 1990, could have been restored immediately after anytime. What kept Pandits waiting till 2014 is a point to ponder.
Second-since the Assembly elections are round the corner, Kashmir centric MLAs viz Bashir Ahmed Veeri, Taj Mohi-ud-Din and now even Chief Minister Omar Abdullah after facing humiliating defeat in LS contests have joined the environment degradation 'raga' over the yatra …obviously in hunt of safe haven to secure Kashmiri votes.
If both the aspects be gauged in parallel subtexts, both lead to the indication of inimical forces in play to polarize Jammu and Kashmir before the elections.
Political scientists are of firm opinion that the process is on and state may witness more such nuisances erupting in near future leading to stronger issues resulting in eventual divide of the state. |
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