Col J P Singh, Retd
By now we know one thing for certain that India has too many Kanhiayas who have crossed the line of no return and declared themselves winners. Their objective is to confront Modi and weaken India. Naming them or name calling at their back is bad manners in the ethical sense but media is not deterred by the ethics. People do good things, brave things and stake their lives for the nation but miss the lime light. On the contrary those who abuse the nation, abuse an organization, talk anti-national, incite violence and spread hatred become heroes overnight and are hero worshipped. One fine morning heard that a student leader made a speech in the JNU Campus which was termed anti-national. He makes another speech the next day which was termed seditious. He makes a third speech after few days and becomes a National Hero No 1. Instantaneously Congress and Left Front leaders finds a great potential in him in restoring them to power. In his fourth speech he states that India needs Azadi from Modi. He vows to demolish Modi; all clap. Happiness spreads in opposition camps. Liberals and opposition parties support his actions under the garb of freedom of speech and expression. Sitaram Yechuri begs him to campaign in the coming Bengal Assembly Elections. Congress begs him to salvage them in Assam. Yet another young MP from minority community castigates RSS and declares in a public meeting that he shall not say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ even if his throat is slit. Yet another tall leader, leader of opposition, publicly compares RSS to Islamic State terror group. Separatist leader Geelani vows to cede Kashmir and make it an Islamic state. Naxals accelerate their attacks on security forces. Smelling this cocktail of events, my head goes into circles. Kanhiaya and the ilk have thrown a gauntlet challenging Modi and willy-nilly to all, who have elected this govt. Extra constitutional authorities are on the rise and are challenging constitutional authorities. Consequently intolerance is increasing. This reminds me of pre emergency days and events. George Fernandis, a trade union leader, then led the agitation against Indira Gandhi govt.
Coming back to kanyiaya led JNU get together of 9 February 2016, its agenda was (i) to protest against judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat and (ii) to support Kashmiri people’s struggle for Azadi. Slogans like Pakistan Zindabad, Bharat ki Barbadi tak Jang Laren ge, Kashmir ki Azadi tak Jang rahegi were shouted. The long arms of ISI have reached Indian streets, schools, universities and religious places. Their narrative is also to polarize society and demolish Modi. Geelani’s declaration of making Kashmir an Islamic state, is an invitation to ISIS. In every event, it is surely no coincidence that, real or exaggerated, narrative of finishing Modi peaks as the elections come around. Church attacks increased before Delhi election and beef & intolerance became issue before BIHAR election. Modi lost both elections. RSS and Bharat Mata Ki Jai is being made an issue for the coming 5 state elections. Modi again is the target.
Calls for Azadi for Kashmir & North East are on the rise. Since the media is blowing up such issues indiscriminately, it is catching the public imagination. It is a matter of conjecture whether such personalities/forces will be able to convert their words into action. If they do, dangers of uncertainty loom large. And when there is action, there will be reaction; in the streets, universities, public discourses and the Parliament. JNU type anti-national scenes were enacted in Jadavpur University and Hyderabad Central University. Narrative was political. Campus politics will be fuelled and hijacked by political parties. God forbid, should events go out of control, bad days are ahead.
Hurriyat is projecting counter insurgency (CI) operations in the valley in bad light. Kanhiaya has branded armymen as rapists of the valley. The net result is that today civilians are physically hindering CI Ops in the valley. Separatists instigate locals to rise in protest against security forces, provoke them, pelt stones, physically shield terrorists by deploying boys and girls and if they resort to lathi charge/firing, lodge FIRs against them. Objective is to scare them from performing legal duties. Hurriyat is a tool in Pak hands. Hurriyat intransigence helps Pakistan in raising human rights issues, challenge accession and internationalise Kashmir issue. Attacks in Gurdaspur, Jammu, Udhampur and Pathankot is reflection of old phenomenon of 80s and 90s. Hence nothing much has changed for the valley. Talks or no talks, India has to take Pakistan head on and be prepared for the worst. Pak Army and ISI must be made to pay the price.
India has evolved as nation by virtue of a long historical and cultural processes. Hundred years of freedom struggle, thousand sacrifices, 67 years of partition, 5 dastardly wars, prolonged proxy war, deadly terrorist attacks have given India plenty of Heroes. More are getting added in the list. But the Kashmir centric liberals; Hurriyat, the self proclaimed representatives of people of J&K, continue getting undue attention. Govt formation in J&K revolves around Hurriyat conglomeration. Many fringe groups are also getting undue media attention. Whenever Parliament is convened or a foreign dignitary comes to India, anti-national activities reverberate in Delhi. All Kanhiayas are the same even if their agendas are different. The contradictions of their agendas are likely to play jointly one day later, likely before the next general election 2019, although right now none of them may be looking that far. Modi won 2014 election with youth and students overwhelmingly voting for him. His ‘make in India’, ‘stand up India-start up India’ and many other initiatives are for the youths. JNU and connected events is a planned narrative to detach students and youth from him and turn them opponents. Award wapsi, fuelling intolerance, blaming govt for Rohit Vemula’s suicide and giving it a dalit tilt are to shake and weaken the govt. It is the tragedy of Indian politics. Challenges before Modi are plenty and serious.
I have seen political narrative and security discourse changing in Kashmir for many years. Rise of BJP in Jammu and PDP in the valley is a new phenomenon. Coalition era has come to stay in J&K. Irrelevant Kanhiayas, fringe elements and self styled heroes are raising their heads. Self proclaimed Hurriyat and other elected leaders needs to know that at one time Sheikh Abdullah, an elected prime minister and most popular Kashmiri leader, started negotiating Kashmir directly with US and Pakistan over the shoulders of India. But did not succeed in his mission. Instead he was imprisoned and sent to jail. Decades later, Indira Gandhi showered mercy on him and restored him in J&K. What relevance Hurriyat has in bilateral talks if Sheikh Sahib was considered to have none. Therefore Hurriyat must be sidelined.
Will Kanhiayas and Geelanis be able to dismember India. The answer is no. But Kashmir and North East are the trouble spots. Today the ground situation is different. ISIS is being invited in the valley. 3 Division of People’s Liberation Army are across the LoC under the garb of security of 46 Billions ‘China-Pak Economic Corridor’. Infiltration from POJK and terrorism in the valley is on the rise. There have been demographic changes on both sides of LoC. Non Kashmiris have been settled in POJK. Kashmiri Pandits have been gunned out of the valley. Pakistan is a nuclear state. Pakistan is working to merge POJK by declaring it as fifth province. Our claim that the only unsettled issue between the two neighbors is POJK has no takers in the world, least in China. PDP is nearing its goal of involving Hurriyat in dialogue. The inference is that Kanhiaya ilk are trying to force their will in shaping geo-political fabric of the Kashmir. Those, on whose signals anti-national activities are increasing and ISIS Flags are raised in Kashmir, must be dealt with strongly lest Modi’s credibility erodes further. Irrelevant Kanhiayas must be isolated by the people as they isolate bad heads by ‘Hukka Pani Band’. It is deplorable on the part of Congress and Left to fuel emergency type phobia when country’s unity and integrity is being threatened from within and without.
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