Excelsior Correspondent
CHENNAI, July 3: “It is a strange paradox that even though way back in 1950, the then Prime Minister and Congress stalwart Jawaharlal Nehru had described Article 370 as temporary, Nehru’s descendants and his self-proclaimed followers in Congress party today refuse to accept this while the Interlocutors appointed by them 60 years later suggest that Article 370 should be made permanent. The matter of fact is that in 1961, just three years before his death , Nehru had gone on record to state that according to his assessment, Article 370 was no longer required”.
This was stated by Dr Jitendra Singh, BJP National Executive Member & J&K chief spokesperson. While addressing an audience of intellectuals and eminent advocates at a seminar on Jammu & Kashmir held at YMCA auditorium opposite Madras High Court at Chennai. Striking a personal note Dr Jitendra Singh went on to recall that incidentally many years ago as a student he had lived for three years in the same YMCA building as a resident in its hostel section.
Dr Jitendra Singh,who was the principal speaker at the seminar, said that he was personally an admirer of Nehru’s erudition and oratory but in the context of Jammu & Kashmir ,much of the problem today is because of some of the monumental blunders committed by Nehru because he chose to deal with the state of J&K himself and kept Sardar Patel out of it. Introduction of Article 370 and taking Kashmir to UNO were among historic mishaps committed by Nehru.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that J&K ought to be seen and treated like any other state of Indian union. He suggested not to refer to Kashmir as an “issue” because in English language,the word ‘issue’ often conveys negative connotations while according to us there is no issue over Kashmir and the Interlocutors have wrongly perceived it as a dispute. If at all there is any issue over Kashmir,Dr Jitendra Singh said it is how to retrieve back PoK from Pakistan’s illegal occupation.
Referring to continued discrimination meted out to Jammu and Ladakh regions,Dr Jitendra Singh cited elaborate figures to prove the point and said the Kashmir valley comprises a very small fraction of total square kilometer area of the state but simply as a design to ensure supremacy of Kashmir-centric politicians, delimitation of constituencies is not carried out and while the Congress party has always maintained a convenient silence on this aspect,the Congress appointed Interlocutors have also avoided taking a clear position on it.
Dr Jitendra Singh alleged that the Interlocutors report makes selective references to human rights violation and avoids elaborating on what is happening to Kashmiri Pandits, minority Sikhs or PoK and West Pak refugees or atrocities on Shia Muslims in Gilgit Baltistan.
The nation owes it as a debt to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee’s sacrifice to fight for the principle of “Ek Vidhan,Ek Pradhan,Ek Nishan”,reiterated Dr Jitendra Singh.
Justice E.Padmanabhan,retd judge of Madras High Court presided over the function. Ramamoorthy of Akhil Bharatiya Avyukhta Parishad also spoke on the occasion. There was an lively question-answer session.
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