DOST KHAN / ANCHOR
Farooq Abdullah does it again. He says he will remain in India till it remains the country of the people of all religions. It is the same reflection of attitude which is selective not only in immediate terms but it also reflects his core mindset.
The elevation of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is turning out a big thorn by side of people like Dr Farooq. He has warned that if India remains only the country of people belonging to single religion he will not remain with it. Dr Farooq also wants peace with Pakistan and dreams that the younger leadership of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will help in this regard. In the present circumstances Dr Farooq’s statement needs a dissection and every attempt has to be made to understand this maverick politician who one time thinks about India as a great country and when not in power starts shuffling his thoughts to the other extreme. Sadly the oscillation between one extreme and the other is the trait of these so called Kashmir centric leaders. They see India great when everything goes their way and soon smell rat when things take a different turn. This time again, the same old Raga of secularism in danger is being promoted in the backdrop of the recently concluded state elections. They have found another punching bag in Yogi Adityanath. Beat him, expose him and deride him is the new Mantra and Dr Farooq has taken a plunge in the drama.
The statement of Dr Farooq is woefully short of reason and foresight. It is equally short of a discourse that is holistic and inclusive. India has never been since 1947 the nation of one particular community. Here the narrative of political discourse during the elections was based more or less on Muslim discourse. Media of the country, whether electronic or print, made political arithmetic on the Muslim narrative based on their number in various constituencies. The political parties also took up the same line. In place of majority view point what dominated the discourse was based on the minority sensibilities. Back in the State of Jammu and Kashmir is such narrative possible? Kashmir remains without its original and oldest citizens. Kashmiri Pandits today languish in various parts of the country with a very discourteous tag of ‘Migrants’ on their forehead. When they were being hounded out of their fabled homeland Dr Farooq as head of the government fled to London. Where had gone his inclusive sensibilities then is a million dollar question which he has not answered till now.
There is a complete sense of rout looming large in the minds of the opposing political parties. Dr Farooq wants to cobble up a rag tag opposition with Congress in view of the forthcoming Parliamentary bye elections in Srinagar and Anantnag. And soon we could see him flying to Sonia and project himself as a face of united opposition to Modi. Dr Farooq has a unique disposition. He forgets things fast. Let us remind him that he raced ahead to catch the earliest flight to meet NT Rama Rao when a similar rag tag opposition was being cobbled in the country against Indira Gandhi in 1984. He does many things that defy reason. Just a month back he expressed his opinion in favour ofstone throwers and described it the so called struggle as a just one for Azadi. Now he is at pains to ensure his victory in the parliamentary bye elections.
The moot point is should we take such men seriously? Obviously we should not but given their clout and power in vitiating the atmosphere and creating a false narrative it is imperative for all the right minded people to not only denounce his statements but remind him to desist from such political brinkmanship. Dr Farooq is not visionary statesman. Had he been so he would not have taken flight in view of grave atrocities committed upon minority Hindus in Kashmir. Selectively raising false issues about India is no wisdom or foresight. India is the only country where Muslims enjoy freedom of expression in the fullest possible terms. India is the only country where majority community is hounded in places called Kairana and northern pockets of Kerala. India is the only country where the number of mosques is highest. To raise question marks about such a great country is undermining the truth and facts. On the otherside if Kashmir becomes the place for only one religion what will Dr Farooq do? As a matter of fact Kashmir has witnessed ethnic cleansing on a mammoth scale. Has the veteran NC leader snapped his tied with Kashmir? Today ISIS flags, pro Pakistan flags and anti India slogans are raised on a daily basis. Now, once flourishing minority Hindu areas stand shorn of their population. What has Dr Farooq done in this matter? Is it not a sin to selectively raise issues that too false ones? This way Dr Farooq is losing relevance. On the other side as mentioned earlier the rise of Yogi Adityanath on the back of an overwhelming popular vote can prove nemesis of the opposition and the rise of another Modi from the state of Uttar Pradesh. Without giving chance to a new leader and arriving at a conclusion is reflection of a grave political mistake. Dr Farooq needs an intense revisit to his consciousness. At last the reality is that we have to face Almighty and there all our deeds shall stand disrobed. Hence a reality check is long overdue
