‘Terrorists across border feeling heat of Govt’s action’
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 3:Terming that Article 35 -A is a Constitutional and legal aberration, Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that those who support it have a vested interest in doing so.
In an exclusive interview at the India Next Conclave in New Delhi today, Dr Jitendra Singh, in a reference to Article 370, called it as an anomaly. He went back to recall that even during the making of the Constitution, those who had initiated the introduction of Article 370, were also of the opinion that this was going to be only a temporary provision.
The Union Minister referred to reservations shown by the founding president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in the Constitution Drafting Committee, in response to which Jawaharlal Nehru had pacified Mukherjee by asserting that Article 370 was not going to be a permanent feature and the exact phrase used by Nehru was “Yeh (Dhara) Ghiste Ghiste Ghis Jayegi.”
Even during the Parliament debates on the subject during 1963-64, Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that the then Union Home Minister, Gulzarilal Nanda had expressed the opinion that Article 370 was no longer required and the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru also apparently seemed to be in agreement. He said, it is only in the later years that political parties, particularly National Conference (NC) developed a vested interest in the continuation of Article 370 in its bid to appease a certain constituency and the Congress leadership also entered into a competition to outdo NC in this appeasement policy.
Reiterating the BJP national president, Amit Shah’s recent statement that BJP will initiate the process of abolishing Article 370 the day it has sufficient majority in both the houses of Parliament, Dr Jitendra Singh said, any right thinking citizen both within the State or outside will accept the advantages of doing away with Articles 35 A and 370, and those who insist on continuing it, do so either for protecting their political interests or their narrow business interests without allowing the people of the State to benefit from an open competitive market, investments from outside or promotion of big industries.
In a candid interview, while responding to a wide range of questions, Dr Jitendra Singh pooh-poohed Omar Abdullah’s demand for a separate Prime Minister for Jammu & Kashmir and said, it need not be taken seriously because tomorrow, if the same gentleman is made Chief Minister of the State he would give up the demand for Prime Minister. He recalled that NC has always followed this same pattern and even Sheikh Abdullah, who spoke about plebiscite and referendum for 20 years, had meekly accepted to become Chief Minister in 1975 on the terms and conditions laid down before him.
Dr Jitendra Singh also made a confident prophecy that Kashmir is witnessing the last phase of militancy which is on its way out. Giving full credit of the same to Prime Minster Narendra Modi, he said the action taken within the border and across it during the last five years has not been seen in the past and militants are feeling heat while machinery of terrorism which has its base in Pakistan has been neutralised. With operation Balakote, India attacked fountain head of terror, he added.
Ruling out any move of Track -Two diplomacy in normalising the situation in Kashmir or brining youth in mainstream, the Union Minister said it sounds orthodox and is not a proper narrative as already Kashmiri youth have decided to link themselves with the developmental programme of Narendra Modi and they want to progress along with other parts of the country.
Dr Jitendra Singh said already in JEE and IIT examinations, large number of Kashmiri children participated. These students have lot of aspirations and they want to take advantage of the opportunities available in other parts of country under Modi Government, he added.
Accusing the dynastic parties for the present mess in Kashmir, he said they have developed a vested interest in contesting elections and winning elections by low percentage of votes polled. “They indulged in politics of blackmail saying if they are not there, the situation will worsen further”, he added.
Accusing the NC of doing great disservice to Jamhooriyat, (democracy), Insaniyat (humanity) and Kashmiriyat, he said it is they and not BJP who murdered the Jamhooriyat in Kashmir. Under the Vajpayee’s Model of Jamhooriyat endorsed by Narendra Modi Government, every body should get equal opportunity and these are the dynastic parties which snatched that.
He said Pandits were forced to flee from their homes, hearths and this way these parties who were at the helm of affairs in the State murdered Kashmiriyat which is synonymous to pluralistic culture. Maintaining that Naredra Modi sticks to Vajpayee’s formula, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Kashmir parties do not want Pandits to return. They say something when in power and when out of power raise “pro-Pakistan slogans.”
He said when Pandits were forced to leave the Valley in 1990, the political parties of Valley blamed Jagmohan for the same. They even went to the extent saying that Pandits left the Valley for getting plots which was neither fair nor factual. So the people lost faith in dynastic parties and their polices, he added.
He said only BJP and the Vajpayee formula are the road map for Pandits return to Valley. Asserting that Pandits will return, he said at the same time there is need of creation of an ideal and congenial atmosphere in Valley and for this purpose the Government is working to uproot terrorism completely from Kashmir.
He said, in the years to come, the situation in Kashmir will turn compatible and hospitable enough for the Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes and herds.
Dr Jitendra Singh asserted that BJP will seek votes to further the agenda of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in the State while terming the alliance with NC made in 2014 for Government formation a political compulsion. “We joined the alliance on the agenda of development but after three years when we came to know that the Government is not working as per the aspirations of the people we did not lose a single minute in coming out of it”. “We left it to respect the sentiments of the people”, he added.
Ruling out having any special Kashmir policy, Dr Jitendra Singh said that there is no need of having any special Kashmir policy as Kashmir like other states of the country is an integral part of India. “When we don’t have any policy for any State of the country there is no logic in having separate Kashmir policy”, he added.
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