Saffron party terms govt decision to disallow yatra ‘unfortunate’
Noisy scenes in Legislative Council as BJP protests govt ban on yatra
Serious differences appear to have cropped up between coalition partners PDP and BJP over the banning of the “Abhinav Gupt” yatra due to the pressure of separatists and other Kashmir-centric groups. The BJP ministers, however, have maintained a guarded silence to avoid any controversy.
A day after J&K Government’s spokesman and Education Minister in the coalition government Naeem Akhtar announced on Thursday that the yatra would not be allowed, the BJP reacted strongly by terming the decision “unfortunate”.
Although the Education Minister said the government wouldn’t allow any “non-traditional or unconventional event” in the state, the yatra is going on uninterrupted in the Valley and will be concluded on Saturday. The yatra entered the Kashmir valley on June 3 and it has, so far, covered nearly 38 temples in different parts of the Valley.
Interestingly, separatists and other groups are opposing the entry of the yatra to the Beerwah cave but the organisers of the event have claimed that the cave does not come in the route of the yatra, which will conclude at Kheer Bhawani temple in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on June 11.
In an obvious reference to the PDP succumbing to the pressure of hardcore separatist leaders, general secretary of the state BJP Harinder Gupta said, “Voices like those of Syed Ali Geelani and others who are opposing the yatra lack knowledge and history of Kashmir.”
“The yatra is being undertaken not to undermine the Muslim majority character of the Valley but to highlight the glorious cultural and intellectual movement of Kashmir which has been internationally recognised. The opposition to the yatra is indicative of a narrow and biased mindset of certain elements in the Valley,” he said while making a veiled attack on the PDP and other groups.
Kashmir-based BJP spokesman Khalid Jehangir has asked mainstream politicians not to toe the separatists’ line on the issue. “People should stop opposing the yatra for appeasing a handful of separatists, who despite enjoying all the privileges have developed a habit of making a mountain out of a molehill to prove their loyalty towards their handlers sitting across the Line of Control. Mainstream politicians should refrain from toeing the line of separatists”, he said without naming the PDP or the National Conference.
A New Delhi-based organisation, Acharaya Abhinav Gupt Sheshadri Samroh Samiti, headed by Art of Living Foundation founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, along with some Kashmiri Pandits organisations has taken out the yatra which is scheduled to conclude at the Kheer Bhawani temple.
Naeem Akhtar had said on Thursday that “neither has the government received any request from anybody for the yatra nor are we allowing it.”
He said that the government wouldn’t allow any “non-traditional or unconventional event” in the state. Even Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh had already made it clear that the government wouldn’t allow anything that had potential to disturb peace in J&K, Akhtar had added.
Undeterred by the decision of the state government not to allow the yatra, Ajay Bharti, who is the coordinator of the event, told The Tribune that the yatra was going on as per schedule. “Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has already reached Srinagar to preside over the concluding function of the yatra,” Bharati said, adding that the reaction of the government was “very unfortunate and immature in nature”.
“Instead of going through the history of the Kashmir, the government has meekly submitted before people like Syed Ali Geelani, who is a champion in distorting historical facts”, Bharati said.
Meanwhile, the J&K Legislative Council on Friday witnessed an uproar as ruling Bharatiya Janata Party members sought an answer from the government for disallowing the “Abhinav Gupt” yatra to an ancient cave in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
As the House proceedings began, the BJP MLCs wanted the government to issue a statement on the yatra to Abhinav Gupt cave. The members were referring to the statement of government spokesman Naeem Akhtar that appeared in a section of media about not allowing the yatra.
BJP members Vibod Gupta, Ajatshatru Singh, Ashok Khujuria and Ramesh Arora urged Chairman of the Legislative Council Anayat Ali to take serious note of the issue as Kashmiri separatists too had termed the yatra to the Abhinav Gupta cave as “Indian aggression” and an “RSS ploy”. “The statements against the yatra are an attack on our secular status,” said BJP MLC Vibod Gupta.
The Legislative Council Chairman urged the BJP members to sit down but they refused and the noisy scenes continued in the House. “Government should issue a statement,” the BJP members insisted.
As the uproar continued, Congress MLC Naresh Gupta too supported the BJP members’ demand. The Chairman told the members that they would be allowed to raise the issue during Zero Hour but that did not pacify the BJP members.
The protesting BJP members finally sat down and allowed the House to function when Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh told them to sit down.
The New Delhi-based Acharya Abhinav Gupt Sheshadri Samroh Samiti, which is conducting the pilgrimage to the “Abhinav Gupt cave”, is planning to reach Beerwah in Budgam district on June 11. However, the proposed yatra has raised the eyebrows of separatist leaders.
