Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI Mar 5: All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) held a meeting here, today to discuss ‘upcoming elections and KP stakes in it”. The meeting was presided over by its president Dr.Ramesh Raina and attended by large number of community activists and leaders from Delhi NCR. Prominent among them were Moti Koul, Sudhir Sopory, Alka Lahori, Manorama Bakhshi. The meeting was convened to discuss KPs perception in the light of changing political realities and dynamics of the place.
Dr.Ramesh Raina set the ball rolling by stating that consequent to the upcoming Parliamentary elections in May 2024, the political activities in the UT have started gaining momentum and each political party, be that national or regional, is trying to woo their voters and reaching out to their constituencies with electoral promises. In this regard, KPs, who being in running exile for 35 years now and the erosion from socio-psychological memory of Kashmir staring in their faces, it is significant to draw the attention of political authorities towards their plight and extract their commitment towards the beleaguered community in their respective manifestos.
He laid out various options for Kashmiri Pandits which focussed on improved Kashmir connect via temples and shrines which need a greater KP organisational push for the passage of Temples and Shrines Bill, influence the political agenda of respective political parties of the place, grant of minority status and pitch for more employment under PM package. The idea was to place KP issue at the centre stage of the political debate during the ensuing electoral campaigning.
Moti Kaul, ex-President of AIKS emphasised that the present BJP dispensation was committed to the welfare of displaced KP community and in this regard he mentioned the President’s speech to the Parliament in 2014, which had the rehabilitation of beleaguered community prominently placed in the policy document. During these ten years we have seen the GOI delivering on our sustainable long term solutions like reservation in Legislature which was in no way a smaller thing. He expressed optimism that the new term for the BJP will definitely have something to cheer about.
Prof. Sudhir Sopory also echoed the AIKS sentiments and said that 35 years of running exile was killing the desire of the people to return in a big way and agreed with the outlined options.
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