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| Memorandum that upsets Kashmiri separatists | | Amarnath Yatra | | Neha
JAMMU, July 28: Four days ago, A BJP delegation-led by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj submitted a comprehensive memorandum to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. The BJP took this step in the wake of over 95 deaths of the Amarnath yatris caused due to official apathy and gross mismanagement. The memorandum urged the Home Minister to control the chairman of the Shrine Board and reconstitute the Shrine Board itself by including devout and prominent Hindus. The memorandum held the chairman of the Shrine Board, who is Governor of the State, and the Shrine Board directly responsible for the deaths of so many pilgrims. Besides, the BJP memorandum contained certain suggestions which needed to be considered by the authorities to make the yatra a smooth and comfortable affair. The memorandum urged the Home Minister to direct the Shrine Board to take all the necessary steps so that the adequate healthcare facilities are available en-route the holy shrine and so that no pilgrim dies in future for want of medical facilities.
There was nothing provocative and wrong in the memorandum. The BJP committed no wrong in drawing the attention of the authorities to the circumstances which led to the tragic death of so many yatris or by suggesting ways and means aimed at providing all the necessary facilities to the yatris all along the route. Believe it or not, but it is a fact that the BJP memorandum has upset many in Kashmir. One of them is none other than militant-cum-former NC MLC. He is Firdous Syed, alia Babar Badar. He was so upset that he wrote a highly critical essay on the BJP. He described the memorandum on death of Amarnath yatris as a "sheer vandalism of historical facts"; a "simple distortion".
He wrote thus: "In the very beginning of the memorandum itself, BJP is trying to build a non-existent historical context of the yatra. The purpose is clear, BJP is more than keen to make the yatra a round the year affair and in that endeavour it is hell bent upon to fabricate a historical context. In the absence of any historical tradition fascist forces always manufacture facts to carry forward their divisive agendas. That's not the only industrial manufacturing of the history; hold your breath, BJP in its memorandum further claims that the yatra earlier used to be for a period of '120 days'. As they say lies have no legs to stand, the memorandum at a different place mentions that 'Literary evidence indicates that in 1950s it used to last for about four months, and the number of people, who used to visit the shrine, was about 35 to 40'. How disgusting is the BJP's assertion, nevertheless it efficiently debunks its very claim about the longer duration of the yatra, movement of few Sadhus in the higher Himalayas-- a traditional way of mountain wonderers or saints--- can never justify the claim of a organised yatra. Based on this false claim BJP now wants to buttress the demand of 365 days yatra: 'The Muhurt and duration of the Yatra should be determined as per the Hindu Astha and tradition, which speaks of the Yatra running throughout the year'. What is more alarming is the demand made in the memorandum: 'As the hills and mountains at Tirupati and Mata Vaishno Devi have been designated as 'Sacred Hills' and 'Sacred Mountains', on similar lines the Amarnath Mount and the area surrounding it and also covering all possible conduits leading to it should be declared as Sacred Sri Amarnathji Area. This fully exposes the game plan and leaves nothing for any explanation".
He further wrote: "During the 2008 unrest many informed columnists had projected the sinister plan of Amarnath Nagar, BJP's memorandum in every respect confirms those very fears. And in a purportedly secular democratic country how BJP can put forward a demand like that 'about 70% of manpower on the Shrine Board is non-Hindu, which is against the time-honored universal principle that people not identifying with or not subscribing to the school of belief, faith and worship of the Shrine or a place of worship or a religion must not be considered to be on a Board or Trust created to look after the Shrine.' What does that mean a non Hindu implying the local Muslims should not even to be seen in the proximity of BJP purposed 'Sri Amarnathji Area'? Does this not reveal a sinister design of converting the Muslim character of the Valley? The 2008 unrest and immense sacrifices of the youth had put brakes on the plans of Amaranth Nagar albeit temporarily. Those plans have been revived rather with greater vengeance. The hue and cry on the unfortunate deaths of the pilgrims seems to be a well thought out strategy to carry forward the hidden agendas. As claimed by the memorandum to cater (to) the requirements of one million pilgrims in near future, BJP demands that 'Master Plan should be put in place immediately to address the issues of putting up Permanent as well as makeshift Yatra Houses enroute including adequate supply of power and water, widened and paved roads, big as well as small Hospitals, etc…"
Even a superficial look at what Syed wrote would be enough to know as what they think about the Amarnath yatra. What he wrote could be described as a brazen interference in the religious affairs of the devotees of Lord Shiva, or for that matter, more than one billion Hindus. They and their formulations need to be exposed to the extent possible. For, they are further polluting the already rather polluted religious environment. But the main question is: What is the local BJP leadership doing to take the likes of Syed head on who are preaching worst form of communalism and outraging the sensitivities of the devotees of Lord Shiva? Its statements like "our stand on the deaths of pilgrims stands vindicated" are just not enough. |
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