CPI (M) leader and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has said the relentless efforts by Bhartiya Janata Party and its offshoot RSS causing perpetuating erosion of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status have always proven counterproductive and against the interests of the people of country.
Accompanied by CPI (M) State Secretary Ghulam Nabi Malik and other party leaders, Tarigami was addressing a party convention at Qazigund in South Kashmir today. The MLA Kulgam said it is unfortunate that the RSS has not given up its long pending agenda of eroding special status of Jammu and Kashmir despite being acquainted with the guarantees enshrined in the Indian constitution.
“Deliberate attempts are being made to rake up these issues which are aimed at hurting the political sentiments of people of Jammu and Kashmir. Be it challenging Article 370 or Article 35A or raising the issue of settlement of non state subject soldiers in Kashmir—all these attempts being made are to provoke the sentiments of people of Kashmir which has always proven counterproductive to the national interests. The RSS wants to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and chaos in Kashmir which are loaded with serious ramifications,” Tarigami cautioned BJP and its allied branches like RSS.
He said the attempts of fiddling with the constitutional guarantees enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir made by RSS and its brain child smell a clear support from the establishment in New Delhi. Tarigami said that the CPI (M) will always resist moves of State or Central Government aimed at settling political scores at the cost of special status of Jammu and Kashmir. “Article 35A and Article 370 cannot be separated from one another so those who have challenged Article 35A are either naïve or mischief mongers who just want to create confusion among the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Tarigami said adding that the status quo as envisaged by a section of political class is no solution and instead there is a dire need to restore maximum autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir as is well defined in the constitution of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Ghulam Nabi Malik, state secretary CPI (M) said it is ironic that government of India has announced Rs 1.25 lakh crore development package for Bihar while the flood affected people of Kashmir are still suffering for want of interim compensation. “”Prime Minister Narender Modi’s announcement has exposed the double standards of his party BJP. Though we don’t object to the package announced for Bihar but the same has been announced for political reasons. While the government of India is ready to dole out huge packages to hoodwink people of Bihar ahead of elections, but there seems no time for it to go through the proposal submitted by the J&K for rehabilitation of flood-hit people of Kashmir,” Malik remarked.
He said the flood affected people of Kashmir have only been kept busy in assurances of help by the Prime Minister Modi who came to Kashmir to witness the devastation caused by the September deluge. “But except for PM’s assurances nothing has been done on ground. Doling out huge packages in Bihar is just votebank politics and the flood affected Kashmir has been ignored for political reasons as well,” Malik said.
Ridiculing the central government over its apathetic attitude towards flood hit people of Kashmir; Malik said that many flood-affected families have so far received a meager interim relief of Rs 3,800 even one year after the flood hit Srinagar.
He said the government of India seems least bothered about the floods that submerged Srinagar’s residential neighbourhoods and villages in south Kashmir affecting nearly 15 lakh families in the region causing widespread devastation and damaging hundreds of houses and commercial infrastructure. “The people of Kashmir who witnessed huge devastation and deaths during last year floods are still awaiting a rehabilitation package while as the BJP led central government is concerned and focusing on its political gains in states heading for elections. This is height of discrimination and double standards,” the CPI (M) state secretary observed.
Others who spoke on the occasion include Ab Hameed, Mohd Afzal senior leaders CPI (M) and Ab Rashid Najar CITU leader. The convention was presided over by Gh Nabi Wani.
