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| J&K BJP's resolution on Gilgit-Baltistan | | Contradicting Vajpayee -- I | | Rustam
Jammu, May 1: Jammu and Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday adopted a resolution on Gilgit-Baltistan condemning the reign of senseless brutalities unleashed by the members of another sect against the Shia Muslims in the region and asking New Delhi to prevent Islamabad from giving Gilgit-Baltistan to China on lease for 50 years. There were reports a couple of months ago that Islamabad had agreed to lease out Gilgit-Baltistan to China. Gilgit-Baltistan is Indian and Islamabad cannot barter away the region to further cultivate China with a view to harming India. One would appreciate the state BJP for the stand it took on Gilgit-Baltistan and the oppressed and persecuted Shiite Muslims. The reason is that the state BJP leaders who drafted, approved and finally adopted the resolution on Gilgit-Baltistan have simply negated what the party high command had agreed upon in March 1999 at Colombo, Sri Lanka.
It is not a secret that the so-called ultra nationalist BJP had as early as in 1999 made up its mind to give concessions to Pakistan and accord legitimacy to the politics of communalism and separatism in Kashmir by giving maximum possible autonomy to Kashmir and its adjoining areas. In fact, the BJP had then agreed to accept Pakistan's anti-India suggestions in March 1999, when the Indian Foreign Minister and senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz met at Colombo to discuss ways and means to resolve the so-called Kashmir issue, diffuse the potentially dangerous situation in South Asia, and harmonize India-Pakistan relations. The meeting between the two had resulted in a sort of agreement that was to be implemented in a span of four-five years. The agreement had, inter-alia, suggested plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir on regional/district basis, division of Jammu province along the Chenab river on communal lines, maximum possible autonomy to Kashmir and its adjoining areas, and 'annexation' of the remaining areas of Jammu province and Ladakh region by India.
The two Foreign Ministers had also agreed to meet again after one month to give concrete shape to the agreement. But it (mercifully) did not happen because of the Kargil invasion. Later, the BJP-led NDA Government was voted out in 2004.
What the Indian Foreign Minister had done at Colombo should clinch the issue that the BJP had then contemplated major concessions for Pakistan, and thus to jeopardize paramount national interests. This was one example and it refers to the BJP's positive attitude towards the aggressor Pakistan and the Kashmiri extremists and negative attitude towards the non-Muslim minorities in the state, including Hindus, displaced Kashmiri Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Christians.
That the attitude of the BJP had not changed even after losing power and suffering a humiliating defeat in the 2009 general elections can be seen from another example. The case in point was the discussion in the Rajya Sabha over Home Minister P Chidambaram's statement on quiet talks and quiet diplomacy on Jammu & Kashmir. The BJP had participated in the discussion with Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley asking the Home Minister if he had taken Chief Minister Omar Abdullah into confidence before making his statement in Kashmir on quiet talks, quiet diplomacy and an unique solution to the Kashmir problem! The Home Minister had responded: "We (Home Minister and Chief Minister) are on the same page".
To be more candid, the BJP leader had supported the idea of quiet talks and quiet diplomacy on Jammu & Kashmir - a sad climb-down from its original stand that "Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India and has to be integrated fully into India by abrogating Article 370". This was a line totally inconsistent with the line that motivated Syama Prasad Mookerjee to enter the State without obtaining a permit on May 11, 1953 - an action that led to his arrest. He died in Kashmir in mysterious circumstances on June 23, 1953 while in police custody. He laid down his life for the national cause and he was the one who opposed tooth and nail the pernicious and divisive idea of do vidhans (two constitutions), do nissans (two flags) and do pradhans (two Prime Ministers) and gave the slogan of "ek vidhan, ek Nissan aur ek Pradhan (One Constitution, One Flag and One Prime Minister).
Anyway, there were elements in the country who used to bemoan that whatever the BJP had done in 1999 and whatever it did thereafter, including resumption of the peace process with Pakistan , was done with the consent of the RSS, its mentor and source of inspiration and strength. But no one was prepared to buy their startling revelations because no one could ever imagine that the RSS could take such a dangerous U-turn. (To be continued) |
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