Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 9: Communist Party of India, CPI(M) today asked the Centre to take steps for ending hostilities along the border in Jammu which is affecting the innocent civilians.
CPI(M) politburo member, Sitaram Yechury, told a press conference here, “the ground needs to be broken and peace must prevail. That is upto the Government. We have been telling the Centre that the time for talking is over and we have to walk the talk now.”
The CPI (M) leader said that it is very unfortunate that the border tension has flared at the time when the State is reeling from the effects of the devastating floods. “The Modi Government even before assuming office said the atmosphere is changing. The Government said they will reduce the border tensions on the basis of dialogue but there are no results to be seen so far,” he said.
Yechury said the talks must resume at the earliest for de-escalation of the tension on the border and stop the losses caused by hostilities. “First the Government said we will carry forward the process of Indo-Pak talks. Kashmir is a dispute which we have agreed is to be mutually resolved between India and Pakistan and those talks will continue along with talks in other areas for good neighbourly relations. This was the announcement made by the Modi Government prior to assuming the office and soon after assuming the office. I am only going by what they have said. There is nothing I am advocating,” he said.
Yechury said it is upto the Government now how to end the hostilities. “CPI(M) has always maintained that disputes between India and Pakistan should and can only be resolved through talks. Confrontation and conflict is not the answer. There is no end to it and the result often and invariably is that it is the innocent people who are the victims of this crossfire,” he said.
Yechury said that his party will raise the issue of rehabilitation of flood victims in Delhi and demand that the Centre declare the floods as a national disaster.
Yechury said during his visit to the affected areas of South Kashmir and Srinagar, people complained about lack of apathy from both the Centre and the State Government. “People complained that neither State Government nor the Central Government official met them. Announcement of relief was made and it has not been ascertained whether the relief has reached to the deserving or not. They said that the money that was announced for rehabilitation was not provided to them. They have not even been provided tents not to talk of shelters”, he said.
“People complained that the free ration announced for the affected areas has not been provided. They were also demanding tents to survive the weather,” said Yechury.
CPI (M) leader said he failed to understand why the two Governments have not fulfilled this elementary duty even after a month of floods. “Heaps of garbage were lying on the roads in many flood affected areas which can lead to an outbreak of an epidemic. If emergency steps are not taken, the consequences can be disasterous,” he said.
Yechury said the centre needs to feel the suffering of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and take steps in line with its stand of the State being an integral part of the country. “If it (J&K) is an integral part, which it is, then it should be treated as one. If the integral part is in pain, it should be felt. Why is that not happening? The Government needs to take steps to restore its credibility,” he added.
The CPI(M) leader said the Government should waive off the loans taken by farmers whose crops and land have been destroyed by the flood last month. He also called for announcing a fee waiver for students as the educational institutions in the Valley have remained closed for more than a month. “The issue of housing and business loans also need to be looked into while efforts need to be made for rejuvenating the tourism sector which has been badly affected by the floods,” he said.
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