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| Jazia on Amarnath pilgrims:Is J&K a secular polity? | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 3: All this shows that Kashmiri leaders, both "mainstream" and separatists, Kashmiri "civil Society", Kashmiri media, Kashmiri lawyers and advocates, Kashmir-based "human rights" activists, in fact, everyone in the Valley contributed to the growth of sectarianism and joined hands to oppose the decision of the State Government to divert a piece of land to the Shrine Board. Their actions, including attacks on the Amarnath Yatris, all established that they stood for a non-secular polity.
Mercifully, a number of non-Kashmiri "human rights" activists, social scientists, opinion-makers, writers and journalists also made common cause with those in Kashmir who vehemently opposed a religious issue the Hindus across the world held very dear. Some of them even crossed the line by saying that the land belonged to the Kashmiri Muslims and that whatever they did in Kashmir between June and August 2008 was a right action. In other words, these so-called secularists and liberals did all that they could to help the Kashmiri communalists give a particular type of twist to the land issue, thus establishing that they did not believe in secular and liberal values; that they have hatred for things the Hindus held in highest esteem.
What about the so-called pro-Hindu RSS and pro-Hindu BJP? Both these formations, which had played an important role between June 26 and July 7, 2008, started dithering after the fall of the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led government. They dropped the demand regarding the removal of Governor NN Vohra and they wanted to wind up the movement midway. Some of the top-ranking leaders of the RSS and the BJP did all that they could to sabotage the Amarnath land movement, but nothing came out of the conspiracy they had hatched. They failed because by January 7 the movement had become people's movement in the real sense of the term. It was the people, and not the RSS and the BJP leadership, that determined the course of agitation and guided the leaders of the movement.
As for the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS), which was nothing but a mouthpiece of the RSS-BJP combine, it ditched its non-RSS constituents. In fact, the RSS-BJP leadership always kept the non-RSS constituents of the SAYSS in the dark because it wanted to enter into agreement with State Governor at the earliest. Even the relations between certain elements in the RSS and the state BJP leadership, barring a couple of senior BJP leaders, had become quite strained. There were occasions when some of the RSS RSS leaders (Delhi-based) interfered in the working of the BJP during the agitation. As a matter of fact, one of the very senior RSS functionaries tried his best to rein in certain BJP leaders, who were very active and vocal during the agitation days. Another senior RSS leader, who came all the way from Delhi/Jaipur, wanted to derail the entire movement, but had to face humiliations at the press conference and in a meeting that was attended by top RSS and BJP leaders. He miserably failed to carry conviction.
The crux is that it was the people of Jammu province, and not the RSS and the BJP, who led the movement and forced the authorities in the state and New Delhi to accept their demands. It was the people's pressure that forced the authorities to transfer on a permanent basis the Baltal land to the Shrine Board, free of cost. As per the May 20, 2008 decision, the Shrine Board was required to pay a sum of more than two crores of rupees to the State Government. The land agreement between the SAYSS and the government was a great victory of the people of Jammu province, nay it was an outstanding victory of secularism over fanaticism, as also a victory over fake and perverted secularists.
However, it is regrettable that the authorities have not learned any lesson from what the brave, committed and secular people of Jammu did in 2008 to get back the Baltal land and give secular orientation to the state polity. (To be continued)
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