STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Hitting out at Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that if he thinks the demonetisation move and the board exams would end the unrest in Kashmir Valley, it was a misconception and the “storm” would rise again.
Referring to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks, Abdullah said if India became a Hindu Rashtra, Kashmir would not remain a part of the country.
Speaking to reporters after a party function at NC headquarters Nawai Subh, he said, “If the Defence Minister thinks that by examination and change in currency (demonetisation), the storm, which has erupted here, will die down, then he has a misconception. This storm will not die down. Whatever they do, this storm is there and after exams, they will see that the storm will rise once again.”
Parrikar on Monday had said since the high-currency notes were demonetised, terror funding has come down to zero and there hasn’t been stone-pelting on security forces.
“I regret that he has given a very wrong statement. There is no doubt that children appeared in the examinations because they got a concession of 50 per cent (in the syllabus). Who gives 50 per cent concession? They thought they will pass because of the concession,” Abdullah added.
The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister also slammed the Narendra Modi dispensation over the demonetisation move, saying the Prime Minister’s aim was to bury fake currency but the government did not think about problems to the poor who have to stand in queues for 24 hours and even then they don’t get money.
“They (government) should have thought over it before taking such a step and taken those measures so that people did not have to face these difficulties. They have created a tsunami in front of people and you are seeing the result of that. I’m hopeful that its result will be bad for them (government) in the coming elections,” Abdullah said.
Referring to Bhagwat’s statement, he said government should take action against him for speaking against the Constitution.
“According to the Constitution, India is a secular nation and not a Hindu Rashtra. If he says that it is a Hindu Rashtra, then he is speaking against the Constitution of India and the Centre should take action against him because every religion has an equal opportunity according to the Constitution.
“If they want to keep saying this, then unfortunately, those people who were against the two-nation theory of Ali Mohammad Jinnah, this will breed doubts in people that perhaps Quaid-i-Azam (founder of Pakistan) was right and others were wrong,” the NC president said.
“If Bhagwat says that India is a Hindu Rashtra, then I want to tell Bhagwat that Kashmir will not remain a part of that India. Kashmir was with such India where every religion has equal rights,” he said.
He asked national leaders to speak against RSS in unison and “say the RSS propaganda is not acceptable to any party”.
“As long as India respects every religion in accordance with the Constitution, gives equal right to every person of every religion how small he may be, he has every right under that Constitution and if it is eroded, then be ready for a revolution which you will not be able to control.
Abdullah said dialogue with all stakeholders is the only way to address the Kashmir issue. There is no solution without dialogue and the Centre would have to talk to Pakistan because “we cannot change our neighbour”, he added.
“Either we can live with our neighbour in a state of war and cause destruction like it is happening today. Who is getting killed? The citizens of Kashmir. But its solution is not gun.
“There are elections in some states so that is why they (the Centre) are trying to show that they are brave and can do this. Let you show us. They cannot do anything. There is no way forward than talks and no solution without it,” he said.
He said Kashmir will never become a part of Pakistan because the people here have rejected autocracy long before.
“I’m telling you frankly whether people like it or not.
Kashmir will not become (part of) Pakistan. You can write that with my blood. I’m telling you this honestly because we do not want to become their slaves.
“We do not want to be buried under autocracy. There are still those landlords who rule there, not poor people. Kashmir pushed them away when Sher-e-Kashmir (NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah) abolished that system and gave land to tillers but there (Pakistan) is still that system,” he said.
The NC leader said there is only one way out that they keep that part of Kashmir, India keeps this part.
He said Kashmiri’s wanted autonomy that existed prior to 1953.
The former Union Minister said today children in Kashmir say they want freedom and are not seeking to take sides with India or Pakistan but absolute freedom.
“It (desire for freedom) is in their blood now and Modi should answer this. He should answer these children whether he has done justice to the state. Did your’s or the previous governments do justice with the people here or betray them,” he said.
