Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Mar 13: Expre-ssing serious concern over the recent developments created by certain vested interests in the country, Union Minister of State in PMO with Independent Charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh today said it is high time to seek “Azadi” from misguided thinkers and anti-national elements.
The Union Minister who was addressing the inaugural function of two days seminar jointly organized by National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language (NCPSL), Ministry of HRD and Kashmir Cultural Trust (KCT) here today said it is high time that the beginning of a campaign to seek freedom from this thinking and such elements should begin from here.
Making a scathing attack on these elements, Dr Jitendra Singh said these elements were asking for freedom from poverty, hunger etc and he wanted to know whether this problem surfaced in the country since Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister and whether poverty came to India from that day only.
He accused Congress and Left parties of being responsible for this problem who ruled the country for last 67 years in one form or the other. “Why did not they raise such slogans during Congress rule”, he asked.
He said the sole objective of these elements and thinkers is not to rest till Narendra Modi is removed. These parties are working on one point agenda without thinking that they were rejected by the people for such policies in the last election, he added.
He said the spinal shock for opponents of Mr Modi started on May 26 in 2014 and they are perturbed that how BJP came to rule the nation as they thought that the role of party was confined to remain on dharnas and protests only.
Dr Singh said all the nationalist people having similar ideology and concerns though living in any part of country have to unite and launch a campaign to rid this nation from the dynastic rule so that the dreams of those freedom fighters who laid down their lives are realized.
Making a scathing attack on the opposition and misguided thinkers, Union Minister said “no body laid down their lives for feudal democracy”. The main objective of Modi Government is to rid the nation of dynastic rule, he asserted.
Later, talking to reporters at the side lines of the function, Dr Singh took the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad to task for his statement on RSS by equating it with dreaded terrorist outfit ISIS. “The Congress which is losing ground fast is haunted by RSS phobia”, he added.
He said RSS is a patriotic organization and not a terrorist outfit. The organization has rendered yeoman’s service to nation since its inception by serving people in natural calamities, man made treasuries, war etc without any caste, creed, colour and religion, he added.
Recalling the statement of Mr Azad, after the Congress leader lost the elections from Kathua-Doda Parliamentary Constituency in 2014, Dr Singh said that at that time he too blamed RSS for the defeat.
The Union Minister said that Sindhis who faced the trauma of migration during the partition in 1947 and the Kashmiri Pandits in 1989-90 by organizing a joint seminar and share their ideology will definitely achieve their cherished goal.
Maintaining that two communities have faced similar problems after their displacement, Dr Singh while quoting an English proverb said “one victim understands the other victim the best”.
He said the language and cultural identity of a person receives a great setback during the displacement as language is a communicating link and it keeps the culture alive also.
He stressed that a research be initiated on Sindhi-Kashmiri communities displacement. He said during the partition there was 24 to 25 percent population of Hindus in Pakistan which has now reduced to three to four percent.
He said the two communities sustained by their hard work and intellect. While recalling the 1972 Simla agreement between India and Pakistan PMs, he said there were five KPs including the then PM Mrs Indira Gandhi in that meeting and only one non KP who was present there was Pakistan Prime Minister, Z A Bhutoo and he too was a Sindhi.
Earlier, Dr Ravi Parkash Tekchandani, Director of NCPSL in his welcome address expressed happiness that the Council has been able to organize the seminar for the first time in the history of the Council. He said the Council is working under the guidance of Smriti Irani Minister of HRD and chairperson of the Council.
Baldeo Bhai Shara the chairman of the National Book Trust of India in his address said that both Sindhis and Kashmiri Pandits have identical stories to share while Sindhis suffered the pain and agony of partition as they were scattered all over the country, the KPs got displaced within their own country.
Mrs Sruna Jethwani, the vice chairperson of NCPSL recalled how as a young child she had suffered the miseries of partition along with her other family members and how they were being looked down upon by the people at that time.
Prof R L Shant and Prof M K Jetley the eminent award wining scholars who have contributed to literature of Kashmiri and Sindhi respectively presented the detailed key notes highlighting the contribution of various scholars.
Dr Roop Krishan Bhat the Managing Trustee of KCT also spoke on the occasion and presented vote of thanks.
The session was followed by academic session in which eminent scholars of the two communities participated.
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