Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that vested interests are holding back the Kashmir youth, while the common youth is keen to move on and avail of the enormous opportunities unfolding in contemporary India.
Addressing a gathering of journalists at Press Club of India here today, after releasing the book titled “Radio Kashmir – In times of peace and war” written by Rajesh Bhat, a senior journalist working with All India Radio, New Delhi, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the youth of Kashmir are highly aspirational, well informed and globally connected. They are keen to be a part of New India’s growth story and realize their inner potentials and capabilities, but it is a handful of Kashmir-centric politicians who are continuously conspiring to block their progress because these so called protagonists of Kashmir have learnt to thrive in an atmosphere of vacuum and status-quo, he said.
The manner in which the youth of Kashmir are making it to the merit list of prestigious All India entrance exams for Civil Services, IIT-JEE , NIIT, etc., Dr Jitendra Singh said, is an evidence of the beginning of a change in Kashmir, where the youth are no longer ready to buy the hollow slogans of Azadi, Autonomy, etc. and instead, wish to prosper in the global world of 21st century.
Referring to the results of the recently held Urban Local Body elections, Dr Jitendra Singh said, while on one hand, the common man of Kashmir has rejected the self-righteous agenda of separatists whose own children are lodged in safe havens, the youth has also rejected the concept of democracy dominated by dynasty.
Complimenting Rajesh Bhat for having come out with a book after over 25 years of deep research and experience as a journalist, Dr Jitendra Singh said, this should be a message for those self-styled intellectuals who pay a one-week visit to Kashmir and come back to write a book, simply to hit the market. He appreciated Rajesh Bhat’s smooth transition from print media to electronic media, which enabled him to gain rare insight and maturity, both as a journalist as well as an observer of his times.
Director General Prasar Bharati, Fayyaz Shahrayar also spoke on the occasion.
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