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| BJP & Kashmir -- III | | Deviation from Vajpayee line provokes separatists, “mainstream formations” | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Dec 28: MP Mehboob Beg of NC was equally critical of the BJP for its stand on J&K. Reacting to what the BJP leaders said in Jammu, he said: "If they (BJP) want to serve the nation, they should help in resolving Kashmir, and politicking on the issue only suits their party and not the nation." He further said, "I want to remind them that it was their Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who said if Kashmir issue wasn't resolved you cannot have peace and separatist leaders have been speaking about his seriousness for resolving the issue." He even went to the extent of saying that the "BJP after becoming issueless are raking up Kashmir for petty vote bank politics as UPA has left no room for them to make corruption and Babri Masjid issues." Two Jammu-based NC leaders, minister S S Slathia and MLC Ajay Sadhotra, also did not lag behind. They, too, took on the BJP and ridiculed, in particular, its stand on Article 370. Their refrain was that the BJP did not do anything to remove Article 370 from the statute book when in power and accused it of resorting to an approach that would further complicate the situation in Kashmir. They asked the BJP "why didn't they repeal the Article when they headed the NDA alliance at the center? Their identification with the Kashmir-based NC was not altogether unexpected.
As for the "leftist" and "secular" Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami of the CPI-M, he, among other things, said that "BJP is using J&K for their narrow political and electoral interests"; that "Article 370 is a vital bridge between the Centre and state and any attempt to undermine it will have a disastrous impact on the center-state relationship"; that "Article 370 is a historical fact and its constitutional and legal significance can't be overlooked by any political party or any leader, howsoever big he may be"; and that the BJP must realize the gravity of the situation and support genuine political process to resolve the tangle." "Serious, sustained and result-oriented initiatives are needed to sort out Kashmir imbroglio…The BJP has a history of choosing emotive issues to flog public passion and promote its partisan interests…No one should be allowed to vitiate the atmosphere in J&K by provocative utterances," he, in addition, said.
At least, four things were common in what the various Kashmiri leaders said while reflecting on the BJP's stand on J&K. One was that they were appreciative of former Prime Minister Vajpayee. They insisted that the BJP must not deviate from the path charted by Vajpayee. In other words, they asked the BJP to join a process calculated to reach a solution acceptable to Pakistan and people of Kashmir (read the followers of one particular religion). The other was that their approach was parochial and one-region-centric. Their reactions made it loud and clear that they had no place whatsoever for Jammu and Ladakh in their scheme of things and that they would accept only that solution that widens further the already rather wide gulf between Kashmir and New Delhi. Their only watchword was Kashmir and Kashmir alone and approach essentially communal. The third was that they were still unwilling to review their stand on Article 370, which has simply deprived the people of the state of even those normal civil and political rights that are available to the rest of the Indians under the Indian Constitution. For example, Article 370 gives absolute and unbridled extraordinary executive powers to the President of India. Using these powers he/she could keep the state under his/her rule for any number of years without taking the Parliament (read the nation) into confidence. Remember, J&K remained under Governor's/President's Rule between January 19, 1990 and October 9, 1996 and the Indian Constitution was not amended even once. On the contrary, the Indian Constitution was amended at least four times in order to keep militant-infested Punjab under the President's rule between 1987 and 1992. Last but not the least, the critics of the BJP line didn't even once condemned the ongoing orgy of death and destruction in the Valley. Nor did they utter a single word against Pakistan, the epicenter of terrorism and destroyer of peace in the sub-continent.
The Kashmiri leadership needs to review its stand on the state. It should eschew separatist politics and instead work for the abrogation of Article 370, which is - apart from Pakistan - the root cause of all troubles. Abrogation of Article 370 would empower the people of the state and open a new chapter of relations between the state and New Delhi. Besides, the Kashmiri leadership should work for the reorganization of the state. Reorganization would end inter-regional bitterness and harmonize inter-regional relations, besides making the people of each region master in their own house. This would be acceptable to the people of the state and the nation. Separation, based on religion, shall never be acceptable. (Concluded) |
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