BJP and RSS have been making relentless efforts to hurt and provoke the political sentiments of people of Jammu and Kashmir by raising issues like the abrogation of constitutional Article 370, which gives special status to the state, and settlement of non-state subject soldiers in Kashmir, CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said, and warned that similar moves in the past have always proven counter-productive and against the interests of the state as well as the country.

Addressing a Party convention in South Kashmir’s Qazigund on August 19, the Kulgam MLA said it is unfortunate that the RSS has not given up its long-pending agenda of eroding the special status of Jammu and Kashmir despite being acquainted with the guarantees enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The RSS attempts of fiddling with the constitutional guarantees enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir also enjoy clear support from the establishment in New Delhi, he said.

“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 are being made to provoke the sentiments of people of Kashmir which has always proven counter-productive to the national interests. The RSS wants to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and chaos in Kashmir which are loaded with serious ramifications,” Tarigami said at the convention.

The CPI(M) legislator said that the Party will always resist moves of the 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.

The convention was also addressed by CPI(M) state secretary Ghulam Nabi Malik and other senior leaders including Ab Hameed, Mohd Afzal and Ab Rashid Najar. It was presided over by Gh Nabi Wani.

Speaking on the occasion, Malik said it is ironic that the central government 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 Narendra Modi’s announcement has exposed the double standards of his party BJP. Though we don’t object to the package announced for Bihar, it is clear that it has been done for political reasons. While the government of India is ready to dole out huge packages to hoodwink people of Bihar ahead of elections, there seems no time for it to go through the proposal submitted by Jammu and Kashmir for rehabilitation of flood-hit people,” Malik said.

He said the flood-affected people of Kashmir have only been given assurances by the Prime Minister, 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. As doling out of huge packages for Bihar is just vote bank politics and the flood-affected Kashmir has been ignored for political reasons as well,” Malik said.

He said the government of India seems least bothered about the floods that submerged residential areas in Srinagar and villages in south Kashmir, affecting nearly 15 lakh families, causing widespread devastation, and damaging hundreds of houses and commercial infrastructure. “The people of Kashmir who witnessed huge devastation and deaths during last year’s flooding are still awaiting a rehabilitation package while the BJP-led central government is concerned about and focusing on political gains in states heading for elections. This is the height of discrimination and double standards,” the CPI(M) state secretary observed. (END)