National Conference on Sunday expressed alarm over BJP’s intentions, saying it would divide J&K into two and further augment the perception of its prejudice against the people of Kashmir.
Lashing out at BJP, NC State Spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said the timing of IIT Jammu inauguration was insensitive towards the people of Kashmir and underlined the party’s contempt towards the sentiment in the Valley.
“When you cut ribbons in Jammu at a time when Kashmir is on fire and when coffins of young boys are being lowered into graves here. It highlights your abject lack of humanity and empathy. How would people in Jammu have felt if an IIT was being inaugurated in Kashmir Valley at a time of similar grief and mass mourning in Jammu? This act of insensitivity and ruthlessness perfectly exemplifies BJP’s politics in J&K,” the NC Spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday. He said the fact that BJP and the Deputy CM didn’t require the Chief Minister’s presence for the function in Jammu speaks louder than words.
“This also raises serious questions on the writ and integrity of the Chief Minister’s office. Has Mehbooba Mufti in turn outsourced Jammu to the BJP? It’s evident that we have two factions within the Government in a mutual understanding where BJP gives PDP its patronage and the PDP Chief Minister in turn surrenders her constitutional authority and allows BJP to disrespect and humiliate the people of Kashmir.”
The NC Spokesperson said BJP was clearly interested in dividing the State on the basis of religion and while their Ministers were virtually missing from the Valley during the current unrest, they were in perfect attendance to inaugurate an IIT in Jammu.
“While our hospitals are overflowing with thousands of trauma cases and our doctors are starved of supplies and support, the Health Minister who belongs to BJP hasn’t considered it important to regularly visit the hospitals and take stock of the situation there,” Mattu said.
The NC Spokesperson lashed out at the State Government and Chief Minister for their silence on the persecution of a young Kashmiri professional in Chattisgarh and asked the State Government to extend all possible legal aid and support to the arrested young professional who has been booked in a case of sedition for sharing a social media post.
The NC Spokesperson also expressed amusement at the ridiculous eye-wash of an RSS backed “think-tank” being mistaken to think that they have the mandate or the credibility to make an offer of dialogue on Kashmir.
“What could be more insulting and humiliating for Kashmiris? From dialogue offers having been extended directly from serving Prime Ministers in the past, it seems Kashmiris will now have to make do with Ram Madhav and RSS affiliates. Is the Prime Minister too important to consider what’s happening in Kashmir worthy of a statement or an offer of dialogue? These eye-washes are part of the old, conventional formulations of deflecting responsibility when it comes to Kashmir and wont yield anything,” Mattu added.
