Intro: Instead of talking tough to Pakistan, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has urged Indian government to resume talks with Pakistan and has even blamed them for firing from the Pakistani side.
“BJP is fighting for an India without Congress and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is also part of the country. You have to join the fight and make the state free from Abdullahs and Muftis,” said Amit Shah to a huge gathering at Kathua on 25 August.
By Abdullahs, he meant the dynasty of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah who was the grandfather of present Chief Minister (CM) of the State. Sheikh Abdullah himself remained the chief minister of J&K till his death in 1982. After his death, his son and the father of present CM, Farooq Abdullah, succeeded him. By Muftis he meant dynasty of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed which controls the main Opposition People’s Democratic Party; which presently is headed by his daughter Mehbooba Mufti.
Shah also said “Whoever from Abdullahs or Muftis comes to power, he prefers his family interest over welfare of the people. Omar Abdullah and Mufti have kept on swapping places, but the condition of Valley people has remained unchanged”
In the Lok Sabha elections 2014 people routed dynastic parties like Congress which gradually had become autocratic and had led to unfathomable corruption. Keeping this in mind clearly, Shah urged people to throw out dynastic politics out of J &K also.
Amit Shah is right when he condemns dynastic politics, as there is no space for dynasty in the theories and ethics of democracy. Instead of introspection, Omar hurriedly reacted, “Please, let them (BJP) first lecture their own friends. They should give this lecture in Maharashtra, Punjab and in some other States as well. Then, if anything remains, they should say it to me. If they talk to me about it before lecturing their friends, then it would be nothing but hypocrisy.”
While addressing Valley people, the BJP president also said “It is time to have a nationalist government in Jammu and Kashmir”. He added, “It would be worthwhile here to tell that apart from being soft on Separatists, the National Conference party has time and again taken side with Anti-Nationalists of Valley. Its demand of pre-1952 status is simply a result of Anti-Indian mindest. Another proof of this mindset is the National Conference’s stand on the issue of Pakistan firing and meeting of Anti-Nationalists with the Pakistan’s High Commission.
On the other hand, Omar termed the talk between the separatists of Kashmir Valley and Pakistan as a conversation over a ‘cup of tea’. After he returned from London on 24 August, Omar had said, “The cancellation of talks was a result of ‘cup of tea’ that has continued every year since 1994. To expect that Pakistan would stop this before an overall settlement of the Kashmir issue, is I think to expect too much of Pakistan.” Here not only he was speaking like a spokesperson of Pakistan but again he seemed to project himself as separate from India.
While asking Modi government to resume talks with Pakistan he had just shown his pro-Pakistan mentality. Instead of talking tough to Pakistan he even blamed Indian government for the firing from Pakistani side. All these signal at the Anti-National nature of National Conference. Everybody (people of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir) know that there is nothing like Kashmir problem. Anti-India sentiment and people feeding on blackmailing and separatist appeasing politicians want this illusion of Kashmir problem to stay alive. And if this be the case, then the BJP president Shah is right to say that, “It is time to have a nationalist government in Jammu-Kashmir.”
He said, “Narendra Modi government and the Indian army will give a “befitting reply” to shelling from Pakistan along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Arvind (The writer is researcher at J&K Study Centre, New Delhi)
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