Er. PL.Khushu
Former Union Minister and then Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and erstwhile Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad very recently gave a sensational statement that he sent a detailed report on terror-linked politicians of the erstwhile State to the Congress-led UPA government which was completely ignored by the then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and then Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil when they did not take any action. He is further learnt to have said to a TV channel, that when I was the Chief Minister from 2005 to 2008, I sent a detailed report to the then Prime Minister and Home Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh and Shivraj Patil, on some mainstream politicians’ links with the terrorists those days. His statement bears enough confidence with him when he has said that; “I didn’t send it on hearsay. It was based on proof”. I don’t know when that report will see the light of the day”, Azad told Times Now TV in an interview in Jammu. He is learnt to have said that he used to get reports about some J&K politicians’ links to terrorists as Chief Minister of the State. He says that not believing in hearsay, I tried to gather all the concrete proofs and then sent a detailed report to the then Prime Minister and the then Home Minister of India. But unfortunately there was no action.”
As per media reports, when asked whether the alleged terror links of the J&K politicians and New Delhi’s inaction persisted due to the Congress regime’s soft stance towards terrorism, Azad said there were certain “double agents” who befooled New Delhi by projecting themselves as great nationalists and mainstream leaders. “I don’t know when such people will meet their fate”, he asserted. What a controversial reply which is not expected form a politician of his stature, when the security of the country is at stake, with the behavior of such double agents.
On being asked whether such people were still in the business in Jammu and Kashmir, Azad is reported to have said, ” I will not like to comment on individuals whether they are now in the business or not. We had great hope from this regime but nothing happened even now. Every political party wants to expand its mass base. There may be compulsions of some of them,” Azad remarked without mentioning any names.
Is such a statement from a veteran politician, a committed nationalist and a Congress giant of past to be taken that ordinarily, when it involves the security of Jammu & Kashmir, along with the terrorist activities in Jammu & Kashmir. Isn’t it a threat to the security to the nation, by the UPA Government, which has ignored the reports of Azad as Chief Minister of J&K in this regard. In the alternative can such a statement from a responsible politician and a statesman be considered as an opportunistic approach on the part of Azad, as he is out from Congress Party and has been ignored by his parent organization the Congress Party of India with indignity and humiliation, which he never deserved. A question thus arises. Is it a nationalist’s statement or an opportunist’s statement? Is it nationalism or opportunism? It is a million dollar question. No the statement from Azad Sahib cannot be presumed to be an opportunism approach in politics looking to his track record of being a true nationalist and an Indian first. But be it so in any form, such a veteran leader of a big national stature should not have now made his version public when enough fingers can be raised as to why he remained silent on this lethal and sensitive issue for almost 14 years. 14 years is a big time when Lord Rama was made to live in exile for 14 long years. There may be no taker now at this stage, nor is it going to have any sympathy for him, in his new political career. He has said that he was expecting the present government to take action on this issue. Be it so, this “Can of Worms” in the back yard of pseudo secular leaders of the nation, belongs to the erstwhile government of UPA, headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh. Why should not the law of the land proceed against him and his home minister of that time as per law of the land, which will include alleged charges against them for helping the enemy as enemy agents? Yes, Dr. Manmohan Singh and his home minister of that time presumably has only complied with the orders of the Congress Party not to take any action against anyone involved for vote bank politics of Congress, which has divided India to is devastation of cast and creed based politics. Probably Azad Sahib was also a prominent member of this group of elite Congress Party of that time, when he has come out of it for his own political reasons. Azad Sahib is still feeling shy to expose these persons as while being asked about these persons having links with the terrorists as per him he says; “I will not like to comment on individuals whether they are now in the business or not. We had great hope from this regime but nothing happened even now. Every political party wants to expand its mass base. There may be compulsions of some of them.” Probably it will not suit the situation of terrorism in Kashmir for the broader interests of the overall security of Jammu and Kashmir. Such persons need to be exposed by the nationalist leaders like Azad Sahib, otherwise it may be considered as opportunism in political arena, because of his leaving the Congress Party for reasons better known to him.
While making deliberations about it now after a lapse of about 14 years, Azad sahib could have raised his fingers about it, while being a central minister or even when he was the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha. But he could not do so because of vote bank politics of congress party as he was an honored and a celebrated member of Congress Party then, apart from being the most powerful minister in the UPA government.
Whatever be the outcome of this silence of about 14 years on the part of Azad Sahib or the other authorities concerned, this issue has added further salt to the bleeding wounds of Kashmiri Pandits, who are still suffering from the brutal outrage of the onslaught of militancy in Kashmir on them and are still living as displaced citizen’s in their own country scattered and brutalized, somewhere else, but not in their home land Kashmir.
The other side of the picture is that once the present BJP government at the centre takes steps to act against the politicians and persons who are directly or indirectly involved with the terrorist in Kashmir, a huge hue and cry is raised by the other political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, that the BJP government at the centre is working on the basis of religion and is communal lines. Instances are not wanting in this behalf. Once actions are taken to deal with the terror in Kashmir with firm hands, it is always attributed to high handedness on the part of the security forces to suppress the voices of the Kashmiri’s. This is where the shoe is punching. The double speak of the political leaders of Kashmir is responsible for the doom and disaster of Kashmir in particular for their vote bank politics. They have never allowed peace to prevail in Jammu and Kashmir for their power.
Thank God, the king is dead long live the king. Congress party has now met its fate, when the people of India have by and large refused and rejected them from the governing scenario of the country, barring a few states where this party is again playing the card of vote bank politics by exploiting the minority folds of the population of this country. It is true about other regional political parties too, ruling some states of this country, which are exploiting the regional emotions of the people concerned or are dynasty based political parties and are never ready to give up power. Same situation applied to the Jammu & Kashmir in the past, which has been reduced it to the status of a union territory today, when there is no possible hope of restoration of peace and tranquility in Kashmir because of the continued terrorists activities across the border, with criminal murderous acrimony for the Kashmiri Pandits in getting them back to their lost homes and hearths in Kashmir.
Political adjustments in Jammu and Kashmir may take a different turn with the flouting of a new political party known Democratic Azad Party’ by Sh. G.N.Azad. It should not make any new adventure for Jammu and Kashmir as for the people of Jammu & Kashmir are concerned. It will be like “Old wine in new bottles”. Sh. Azad was the 7th Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir from 2005 to 2008. Probably too much need not be derived about it. It can be said to be a new party mostly of the factional group of the congress party members who were loyal to Azad Sahib in Jammu and Kashmir. This party has still to acquire a national base.
Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from all positions in the Congress, including its primary membership, by describing former Congress president Rahul Gandhi as “immature” and “childish” and accusing the leadership of “foisting a non-serious individual” at the helm of the party. It appears that his adversaries say the he has turned from a loyalist to a rebel. Probably due to the extreme humiliation which such a committed pillar of the All India Congress Party is supposed to have been subjected to, can be a reasonable cause for the same. His humiliation has been done at the behest of the dynasty residents of the congress party, to retain its ruler ship, least knowing that the congress ship has almost sunk. The veteran Congressman Ghulam Nabi Azad, a constant fixture in the organization’s decision-making process since the tumultuous times of emergency, finally fell out with his mother party after a not-so-smooth relationship with the top brass in the past couple of years. Probably his decision was opportune and right. Present Congress party is just a duplicate congress party, as is evident by their boyish acts, adding insults to the name and fame of the original congress party headed by Nehru, Sardar Patel, Moulana Azad and the like.
In any, case Azad has already declared that his new political party will work for the development of the state as also for the welfare of the people of the state, with a new vigor amongst other positive measures in this regard. He is on record to have said that he will work for the return of the Kashmiri Pandits too back to valley.
Probably this may be considered as a joke by the displaced KP’s, as he did not do so, when he was the chief minister of the J & K State from 2005 to 2008.
It is necessary to mention here that, it was shocking to observe G.N. Azad camouflaging his replies to the senior most anchor of Times Now TV channel, on 3rd September-2022, on Frankly speaking programme of that channel, about the killings of Kashmiri Pandits in 1989 and 1990. He was giving an interview to Times Now channel, about his ouster from congress. His barren intention was to equate the killings and genocide of KP’s, equally with those of the people of other communities and was trying to down play the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits, about their unabated sufferance of sorts due to militancy in Kashmir. More so, he is carrying the DNA of congress party, which is responsible for the present plight of Kashmiri Pandits since decades, for their vote bank politics. However any effort by anybody political or non-political that may be done or exercised for Kashmiri Pandits welfare and rehabilitation back in their homeland, will be appreciated by the Kashmiri Pandits. But unfortunately it may not happen, as Kashmiri Pandits do not carry any vote bank scent or flavor, which is the root cause of their present condition of desertion and misfortune, while living as displaced citizens in their own country away from their home land Kashmir. It needs to be kept on record that the displaced Pandits who are the victims of genocide and massacre at the hands of the terrorists in Kashmir, know their friends and foes very well in the political sphere of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiri Pandits are highly thankful to the generous and the peace loving people of Jammu who gave them shelter after their migration from Kashmir in woeful circumstances. This too shall be carried by the history for posterity.
(The author is a chartered consultant civil engineer, passionately attached and devoted to his mother land – Jammu & Kashmir).