Dr Murli Manohar Joshi explained the Pakistani design of capturing J&K through demographic transformation. He was addressing a huge rally on the concluding day of the BJP's Save Doda agitation. He said, firstly, all patriotic persons were driven out of the Kashmir Valley?not only the Kashmiri Pandits but also the Sikhs?and later on even the patriotic Muslims were not spared. The total destruction of the great and ancient culture of Kashmir Shaivism should have aroused the conscience of the world but all those who are now crying for ?a global partnership? for combating terrorism kept quiet on this heinous act of ?cultural and ethnic cleansing?. Secondly, the Buddhist majority of Ladakh has been converted into a minority by devious methods. And thirdly, now serious attempts are being made to de-Hinduise the Doda district.
Dr Joshi warned the nation that if Hindus are forced to leave Doda and Jammu, a situation will be created where Pakistan could raise the issue of plebiscite. Let us learn from history, how the violence unleashed by the Muslim League and the machinations of the British rulers forced a plebiscite on NWFP resulting in its accession to Pakistan. Dr Joshi, in his forceful speech, asked the BJP workers to remain vigilant and foil all such attempts of capturing Indian territory by demographic transformation whether it is J&K or any other part of the country. Pakistan is using jehad as a weapon for fulfilling its geographical ambitions. BJP would never allow further vivisection of India, he added.
On the concluding day of nine-day Save Doda – Save Nation Jail Bharo Andolan at Jammu, party activists from Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Daman, Diu, Silvassa and Jammu Mahanagar courted arrests under the leadership of former Party President and former Union Minister Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi. It may be recalled that Dr Joshi had successfully challenged the terrorists in J&K by unfurling the Indian tricolour at Lal Chowk, Srinagar, on January 26, 1992. After independence Indian tricolour was never allowed to be unfurled at Lal Chowk even during the Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.
Before courting arrest, Dr Joshi addressed a massive rally of over 5000 satyagrahis. Dr Joshi, said the satyagraha which commenced at Jammu on June 7 has become a symbol of India'sunity and integrity. People from all the states of the country have been coming here in thousands to express their solidarity with the militancy-affected state. He said history of BJP is full of sacrifices. We have been sacrificing for the national cause since independence. Who is not aware of the fact that Jan Sangh founder president Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee laid down his life to ensure complete integration of J&K with the rest of the country. He said the patriotic people of Doda deserve all praise as they have been fighting the militancy bravely under heavy odds. It is ironical that the people of the state have to struggle hard for their survival as the Congress-led union and state governments have totally failed to ensure security of their lives, honour and property.
 Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi after courting arrest |
Describing the UPA'sKashmir policy as directionless and ambiguous, Dr Joshi said it is because of the lack of clarity that the terrorism in the state has increased manifold, thus endangering the life of all the patriotic people of the state. He pooh-poohed the suggestion that the satyagraha has communal overtones and said the real fight is between nationalist forces and terrorism. He emphasised that the present satyagraha is not to gain any electoral advantage but to stress upon security and integrity of the nation and to galvanise the people to express their solidarity for the people of J&K in their struggle against terrorism. He said the enthusiasm with which the BJP leaders and cadres from all over the country are participating in the satyagraha indicates the nation'sresolve to defeat all the subversive forces.
Dr Joshi demanded that the union government must review its entire policy regarding J&K keeping in mind the utter failure of Pakistan to honour its January 6, 2004 commitment that it would not allow Pakistani territory or any other territory in its occupation to be used for cross-border terrorism. It was NDA government under the leadership of Shri Vajpayee that Pakistan was forced to make such a commitment which the UPA government has conveniently allowed to be ignored by Pakistan.
Dr Joshi rejected outright such divisive ideas as self-rule, more autonomy and demilitarisation and instead urged the union government to start a serious process to ensure the scrapping of Article 370 so that the state could be brought at par with the rest of the country. Dr Joshi also opposed any talk of demilitarisation of Siachin sector or of reducing armed forces in other parts of the state specially in Doda and other neighbouring districts infested with terrorists. He demanded that the armed forces should be deployed in Bhadrawah and other sensitive areas and army and paramilitary posts should be established to provide security to the people.
In this connection Dr Joshi informed the gathering that during his telephonic conversation Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chief Minister, J&K, had assured him that his government would provide security to the people. He regretted that the people of Jammu and Ladakh have suffered gross neglect during all these years of independence and asked the union and state governments to evolve an appropriate mechanism that would ensure fair and balanced development of all the three regions, viz. Jammu, Ladakh and Leh and Kashmir Valley of the state. He said the need of the hour is to ensure meaningful empowerment of neglected regions of Jammu and Ladakh.
Dr Joshi criticised the Prime Minister saying that none of the five working groups set up on May 25 at Srinagar deals with the plight of the displaced Kashmiri Hindus. He demanded the constitution of a working group charged with the responsibility of suggesting ways and means to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes and hearths, where they are able to lead a peaceful and dignified life and participate in the state'spolitical and economic processes. Besides Dr Joshi, Shri Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Dr Satya Narayan Jatia, Delhi State BJP President, Dr Harsh Vardhan, State President, J&K BJP Dr Nirmal Singh, Tamil Nadu State Vice-president Matin, former Union MoS Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta, Prabhari Jammu Mahanagar, Prof. Hari Om, Jammu Mahanagar District President Shri Shiv Kumar Gupta also addressed the satyagrahis.
Prominent among those who courted arrests under the leadership of Dr Murli Manohar Joshi included Dr Satya Narayan Jatia, Dr Ram Krishan Kusmaria, Shri Kailash Joshi, Shri Varinder Kumar, Shri Chattar Singh Darkar, Shri Ganesh Singh, Shri Chander Bhan Singh, Shri Laxman Singh, Smt. Neeta Pateria, Shri Krishan Murari Moghe, Shri Vikram Verma, Shri Ashok Argal, Shri Laxmi Narayan Sharma, Shri Narayan Singh Kesri, Smt. Anusuia, (all MPs), J&K State President Dr Nirmal Singh, Delhi State President Dr Harsh Vardhan, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, Leader of Opposition, Delhi Assembly, State office-bearers of Madhya Pradesh BJP and Delhi BJP, former president Delhi BJP Shri Mange Ram Garg, sitting MLAs of Dehi BJP, Shri Dushyant Kumar, National General Secretary BJP SC Morcha, Mayors of Gwalior, Indore and Burhanpur. (FOC)
