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| BJP's report card disappointing for nationalists in J&K | | Something cooking up in Delhi ! | |
Early times Report
JAMMU, Dec 3: It was on March 1, 2015 that PDP and BJP released the Agenda of Alliance in Jammu and new dispensation took oath. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Deputy Prime Minister LK advani, BJP national president Amit Shah and many other central leaders described it as a historic occasion.
As was expected, the composition and complexion of the State Cabinet and Council of Ministers and the Agenda of Alliance evoked a very strong reaction from the people of Jammu. The BJP had elected 25 BJP MLAs and this happened for the time in J&K. They criticized the PDP-BJP coalition for four main reasons. One, the power-sharing formula excluded Jammu region from the all-powerful Cabinet; its representation was just a little over 30 per cent. Two, the BJP handed over the office of Chief Minister to the PDP for a full term of six years, despite the fact that its strength in the Assembly was almost equal to the PDP. The people of Jammu region had hoped, and rightly, that the nature of the verdict that the people of the State delivered will enable them lead the State Government for three years. Three, the Agenda of Alliance not only maintained the special status of the State as it enjoyed under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, but also promised something more than that. It suggested withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act and demilitarization of the State in phases. Four, the BJP endorsed the Kashmiri leadership's pernicious break-Jammu region age-old demand: Recognition of the erstwhile Doda district as Chenab Valley and Poonch-Rajouri belt as Pir Panjal Valley.
The civil society members in Jammu dismissed the power-sharing formula between the PDP and the BJP as a "complete sellout" and betrayal of the Jammu's mandate. They described the Agenda of Alliance as "agenda of subversion", "agenda of capitulation", "agenda of subjugation" and a new charter of bondage for the people of Jammu region". They demanded its withdrawal saying the Agenda of Alliance, if implemented in its original form, will worsen the situation in Kashmir, jeopardize the interests of Jammu and Ladakh, harm the interests of refugees from West Pakistan and Kashmir and help Pakistan play its nefarious games in the State. But the BJP didn't appreciate the demand. Instead, it adopted a very rigid stand on it and the result was that the PDP exploited the BJP's changed stance to the hilt. The immediate fall-out was unceremonious dismissal of Additional Advocate General and Deputy Advocate General (both BJP-RSS nominees) for their right insistence on the application of the cow-killing laws, imposition of 12.5 per cent service tax on chopper service to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and similar other Hindu pilgrimages, rejection of the demand in Jammu for issuance of Dogra certificates and so on.
The nature of anger of the people of Jammu region could be gauged from the fact that the region remained bandh for eight days, witnessed three massive rallies, including Lalkar rally, and chain hunger strike for almost two months over the twin issue of All-Indian Institute of Medical Sciences and Agenda of Alliance. All these protests were against the BJP and this happened for the first time in 68 years. Those were the days when no BJP minister, MLA and leader could venture out of his house, official or otherwise.
It was hoped that the protests, long marches, chain hunger strike and massive shutdowns will make the BJP leadership refashion its whole approach towards the State in general and Jammu, Pakistan and Kashmir in particular. But the BJP leadership dashed all their hopes to the ground. Instead of taking on Pakistan, the BJP leadership took a complete U-turn and de-linked terror from dialogue process, thus taking the nation for a ride and suggesting that it was no different from that of the Congress. The BJP-led Government at the Centre, in effect, yielded and accepted the Pakistani demand for comprehensive dialogue on all issues, including Kashmir. It took U-turns not in India, but at Paris (France), Bangkok (Thailand), Islamabad (Pakistan) and Kabul (Afghanistan). The Congress had also done the same in a foreign country (read Egypt's Sharm-el-Sheikh) in 2009. What surprised the nation, nay the whole world, was the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore on December 25. While his visit evoked a mixed response in India, it was welcomed by Islamabad, Pakistani think-tanks, foreign affairs experts, former army commanders and media and by all the Pakistani political parties. The Kashmiri parties like the PDP and the NC and separatists like Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Shabir Ahmad Shah also appreciated the Lahore visit and expressed hope that the new bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Mian Nawaz Sharif will lead to the resolution of all outstanding issues, including the issue of Kashmir. That Pakistan, Kashmiri parties and Kashmiri separatists all hailed Narendra Modi for his Lahore visit speaks for itself. It doesn't require rocket science to understand why they appreciated the change of heart on the part of the BJP leadership, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Another development took place on December 25 that frightened the nationalists. That day, BJP national general secretary and in-charge J&K Ram Madhav assured the people of Kashmir through a very controversial interview to foreign news channel Al-Jazeera that the "BJP will take care of the political demands in Kashmir subject to the condition that none of these demands seek separation of the State from India". In other words, he reassured the people of Kashmir that the BJP was prepared to grant to Kashmir autonomy, virtually bordering on sovereignty.
Congress Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh had also promised greater autonomy, minus independence. "Sky is the limit", Rao had said at Burkina Faso in November 1995 and Singh had said on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in September 2013: "Mian Saheb, no Indian Prime Minister can sign away Kashmir, and nor can I. Subject to that, the sky is the limit."
As if all this was not enough to cause a sense of insecurity among the nationalists in the state, the BJP on December 26 batted for open borders between India and Pakistan and India and Bangladesh. It is not difficult to imagine what will happen to India and the majority community in case the borders are thrown open to deadly wolves. But the BJP didn't stop just there. On December 27, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh declared in Jammu that the BJP had left the issue of Article 370 to the care of the PDP. "It is for the state government to retain or not to retain Article 370," he said in Jammu in response to a media query that Bollywood actor Anupem Kher had demanded abrogation of Article 370, saying its repeal will solve the Kashmir problem for ever.
All these developments suggest that something is cooking up in Delhi. What is the BJP up to? This is the question the concerned citizens of the State, especially the Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs. Will the BJP allay their fears? |
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