Condemn the efforts of the Congress and BJP to whip up
communal hysteria!

On July 7, 2008, the Congress government of Gulam Nabi Azad failed to prove its majority in the J&K Assembly and was forced to submit its resignation.

This follows 18 days of public protest on the streets of Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir against the decision of the state government to transfer 100 acres of forest land in Baltal and Domail to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). The plan was to hand over this land to construct permanent structures and other tourist facilities. It was opposed by the PDP, a partner in the ruling coalition, by the National Conference, by the Hurriyat Conference, JKLF and all other political forces of the Kashmir Valley. It was also opposed by the environmentalists, citing the danger to a fragile eco system.

The mass protests of the people of Kashmir Valley were viciously attacked by the police and CRPF, causing the death of at least five persons and seriously wounding scores of others. More than 50 people are reported to have suffered grievous injuries. Many protestors were arrested. The killings led to fresh outbursts of public wrath throughout the last week of June, spreading from Srinagar to Maisuma, Gandherbal and other areas.

On June 27, the PDP pulled out of the Congress-led coalition government in the state, in protest against the killings of people and the land transfer, reducing it to a minority government. The state government was forced to revoke the land transfer order on June 29, with the Chief Minister assuring that the government would provide all facilities and security to the pilgrims.

While submitting his resignation on July 7, Chief Minister Azad of the Congress Party made provocative remarks against all the other political parties of Kashmir, accusing them of trying to reap electoral and other benefits from the agitation.

In fact, the shoe is on the other foot!

If one looks at the sequence of events, the Congress Party and the BJP have synchronised their game. First the Congress Party, through the offices of the Governor, pushed through a land deal by which 100 acres of prime land was handed over to the SASB, which is controlled by the Governor himself. It knew very well that, as in other parts of India, the people and political forces of the Kashmir valley would not take this lying down. How can the state appropriate the land of the people without their consent? This is an issue raging all over the country.

As if on cue, the BJP called for a nation-wide bandh on July 3, protesting against the revocation of the land transfer! Several people were killed in police firing and clashes during this bandh.  The BJP is trying to whip up communal passions all over the country, making out that the Kashmiri people and Muslims are opposed to the Amarnath yatris being provided with facilities.  All this, when even during the current agitation in Kashmir, it has been widely reported how local people have been helping the pilgrims.

According to the existing arrangement, the Governor of J&K heads the SASB while the Chief Minister heads the Waqf Board. This arrangement has been questioned by many in the past, as to why functionaries of the state should be in controlling positions of any religious body, because it is very clear that such an arrangement makes it very easy for the state to inflame communal passions and organise communal strife. The Congress Party is acting as the aggrieved party today. It is trying to cover up its own role in first creating a situation whereby passions of Kashmiri people were inflamed, and then providing ammunition to the BJP to whip up anti- Kashmiri and anti-Muslim sentiments all over the country. 

The anti-people role of the Congress Party and BJP in whipping up hysteria against the Kashmiri people and against Muslims must be severely condemned.