The
post-independence history of India is a saga of national shame and deep
lamentation. In fact, the entire Indian politics is a pile of shameful
activities. But, politics connected with Kashmir has at every step
disgraced India. It is well-known that Kashmir as a region has been the
centre-stage of the Indian culture and philosophy. It was here that
aesthetics connected with Sanskrit as a repository of oriental scholarship
sprouted and fructified. The divine land of Kashmir has been a witness to
the protracted debates centered round the arcane secrets of life between
Pipla Rishi and a galaxy of famed scholars lasting for a time-period of
one full year. Questions were raised about the Lord as a creator of the
Universe and answers were suavely thrashed out. The 'Prashan-upanishad' as
a credible vedantic work got evolved as an outcome of this logical debate.
Here in the very land of Kashmir Abhinavgupta revived and revitalized the
philosophy of Recognition. The legislature of this very region passed a
resolution on so-called autonomy on 26th, June, 2000. The resolution
demanded the deletion of some vital clauses and articles from the sacred
text of the Indian constitution, though they are integral to it. No voices
were raised against such absurd, separatist and unconditional demand
asking for creating a state within a state. But strange as it seems the
moment the RSS passed a resolution with the motive of resolving the
problems of this turbulent state the groups of politicians, journalists
and media-men got stirred up to thwart it.
Most of the political groups and media persons had
not actually gone through the text of the RSS resolution. Those who had
read it, were not fully conversant with the ground realities in Jammu and
Kashmir. The resolution was dubbed as communal and anti-nationalwithout having gone through it, much less having pondered over it
with all cool headedness. But what is astonishing silence was observed on
the anti-India autonomy resolution and hullabaloo was raised over the RSS
resolution though aiming at solving the maze-like problem. It becomes
imperative to highlight some crying problems about the J&K State for
the benefit of such opponents of the RSS resolution. There are nearly two
lac voters who are eligible to vote for the election of the Indian
Parliament but have been debarred from voting for the state legislature
elections. The Indian Parliament and other state legislatures in the
country remain in life for a period of 5 years. But the legislature in
J&K State enjoys a six-year term. No woman of this state can marry a
man outside the state. In case she chooses to do it, she loses her share
in the parental property and is bereft of her citizenship rights in the
state. But she is rewarded if she marries a Pakistani citizen. She has the
right to invest her husband with the state citizenship rights. The Hindus
have continued to be the butts of discrimination which is crass. They have
been put on notice to establish their citizenship of the state. And as
against it the Pakistani citizens are afforded all the conveniences of a
citizen. In the state of J&K there are grave regional imbalances. The
99 Lok Sabha election data cause a puzzlement. In the region of Jammu 24
lac, 63 thousand and 906 electors elect two MPs for the Lok Sabha, but in
Kashmir region 24 lac and 10 thousand electors elect three MPs for the
same house. The Hindu dominated region has been given the option that 12½
lac voters of it can elect one MP for the lower house, but the Muslim
dominated region of Kashmir enjoys the advantage of having one MP for a
population of 8 lac only. The Jammu region has the maximum number of
electors, but it can send only 37 members to the Legislative Assembly.
When Kashmir region has lesser number of electors, it elects 46 members to
the same house. Area-wise Ladakh with its highly sensitive parts of Kargil
and Siachen is huge and sprawling, but it has been decreed to elect one MP
and four members for the Legislative Assembly. This sort of discrimination
has pushed the people of Jammu and Ladakh to demand for autonomy or
separate statehood.
The three Abdullahs though crying hoarse for
autonomy have rejected as useless the local demands for autonomy in Jammu
and Ladakh. Sheikh Abdullah and then Farooq Abdullah and now junior
Abdullah, the inheritor, have valued as meaningless the loud voices for
autonomy and other democratic rights from Ladakh and Jammu. The Abdullah
family and their National Conference deem J&K as their fiefdom. The
definition of autonomy as given by them is sunk in absolute subjectivity.
It is forgotten that J&K is the heart-beat of every Indian. The
Abdullahs have managed their politics through the hefty financial packages
from Centre. The entire Bharat has bled for the state's prosperity and
affluence. Autonomy never implies constitutional special position for any
state. It always means the continuous and positive change of power. The
decentralization of power down from Centre to states from states to
regions and finally to every legitimate citizen of India is what actually
is meant by autonomy.
This type of positive autonomy generates healthy
self-dependence among people. The Delhi Agreement of 24th July, 1952
concluded between Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah contained a promise by the
latter that Jammu and Ladakh would be granted autonomy. The Sheikh had
repeated his promise in a radio-broadcast dated April, 1952. Nehru had
told Balraj Puri that the state constitution should guarantee autonomy to
the separate regions. In his article dated 1st July, 2002 Puri wrote,
"I consider Farooq's demand for autonomy totally meaningless. The
type of autonomy he is demanding from Centre should be granted to
different regions of the state". In reality, the people of Jammu and
Ladakh failed to integrate with the people of Kashmir. The founder of the
Bharatiya Jana Sangh was a strong supporter of the integration of Jammu
and Ladakh with India. But Sheikh Abdullah thwarted it as it would
diminish the purlieux of his fiefdom.
Nehru, Dr Mukerjee and Sheikh Abdullah exchanged
letters on the subject of autonomy. The people of Jammu and Ladakh have no
love lost for article 370 and aspire to be fully integrated with India.
This very demand of Jammu and Ladakh has been raised and concretized as
the autonomy demand. Pt. Nehru has been its supporter but failed to get it
implemented for some unknown reason of love for Abdullah. The RSS has
given expression to the national sentiment through its resolution. The
people there through the J&K National Front and Panun Kashmir have
been clamoring for separate statehood and autonomy. As per the wishes of
the people and Nehru's desire for autonomy and Dr Shayama Prasad
Mukherjee's sacrifices, the RSS has appropriately drafted its full-length
resolution. The said-resolution purporting separate statehood for Jammu
cannot in any way be termed as communal. In the resolution the Muslim
dominated areas of Rajouri, Poonch and Doda have been included as parts of
Jammu. The RSS resolution is a mere reiteration of the old demand of Jammu
for a separate statehood. The strategic importance of Ladakh is
well-known. The resolution includes the region to be declared as a union
territory for strategic purposes.
To maintain a strict vigil over strategically vital
areas of Siachen and Kargil the declaration of Ladakh as a union territory
cannot be termed as communal. Ladakh has a dominant Buddhist population.
In the third part of the resolution the RSS has proclaimed its support to
the nationalist forces of the Valley. The fourth resolution of the RSS is
an eye-opener for the whole country. Severely troubled and tormented by
the Islamic terrorism the RSS has demanded the rehabilitation of the
uprooted Hindus from Kashmir living in squalid camps. The Sangh has
suggested to provide them sufficient security to ensure their
rehabilitation. The reality about them is that their ill-luck emanates
from their fact of being Hindus. Had they been Muslims the entire world
would have roared over their luckless plight and especially the Indian
secularists would have beaten their breast in the 'Gujarat fashion'. It is
this very secular element that has characterised the RSS resolution as
communal. It is better to be communal to pursue the programme of the
rehabilitation of people, left high and dry and expelled from their homes
and hearths. In this very resolution the RSS has expressed grave concern
over the security of the displaced people from borders.
It is better to raise the questions trotted out by
the secularist brigade with a view to having a thorough peep into them.
The secularists ask as to why the RSS is raising the new bogey of division
of the J&K State. In answer it is said that the question has old roots
since the introduction of Article 370 in the constitution and therefore is
not new. In the wake of India's independence on 15th August, 1947 the
Pakistani tribals aggressed India. Unlike Kargil intrusion the war in 1947
continued till December, 1948. In this war India lost a hero in Major
Somnath Sharma who fell in the battle to protect the Srinagar airport from
the foe. He made a record when he was awarded for gallantry for his
services to the nation. His brother, Vishwa Nath Sharma, notched up to the
position of a general in the Indian army. India did not get Kashmir on a
platter. Maharaja Hari Singh possessing a Hindu heart was for India, but
desirous of ruling over the Muslim dominated state was for independence.
The Pak tribals were hell-bent on the massacre of the Hindus.
It was the Home Minister, S Patel who despatched MS
Golwalkar, the then RSS chief, to see the Maharaja in a special plane. He
was responsible for urging the Maharaja to accede to India which he did on
26th October, 1947. Aware of Pt. Nehru's love for the Sheikh Maharaja
initially hesitated. All this is a part of history. Since then much water
has flowed down the Jehlum. Each village in India is simmering with a
patriotic wave. Any killing in any cranny of J&K creates a shiver
throughout the country. Farooq Abdullah with the gun of Article 370
aspires to ride a lion. This article has cost its importance for the
Indians. It is a dead, temporary and decayed provision. Demands for
re-division of states do arise. That is how the RSS has proposed to
re-shape the state after evaluation of ground realities. Instead of noisy
clamour over the issue, it is better to debate and discuss it thread-bare.
The RSS-bashers should know that the proposal has nothing in it excepting
the implicit nationalist sentiment.
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