The misuse of secularism

There is an immense amount of confusion regarding the word 'secular.' The so called educated society doesn't even remotely understand what this means and what it means to implement a secular government. In order to understand this further, lets start with the ACTUAL definition: Secularism - The view that all matters of civil policy should be conducted without the introduction of a religious element. Lets take a look at what goes on in our country. Tax money is taken from all citizens irrespective of religion and used to fund universities such as Aligarh Muslim University. This "great" institution in return decides to provide lawyers to the very same terrorists who's only intent is to destroy the majority Hindu population via any means, be it suicide bombing if necessary (although with the Congress Party in rule they can kill in public and still get away therefore they don't need to blow themselves up.) Since the 1981 over 65,000 people have been killed and over 600,000 people have been forced out of their own homeland by these terrorists, yet the Congress party refuses to let alone doubt even interrogate suspects with proven terrorist records!!. What is the main reason? Because they don't want to make it seem as if they are suspecting the community. Apparently their feelings are worth more than the lives of natural citizens, who have called Bharat their homeland for over 4000 years! There is also this concept of sending muslims to this trip called 'Haj' which is paid for by the government of India yet the very same government can't even setup clean bathrooms and a place to stay so that elderly, women and children who take part in the Shri Amarnath Yatra can complete their pilgrimage with peace. On one hand you provide a flight service all the way to mecca using tax payers' money but on the other hand you refuse to provide even the basic necessities for your own people!? The government doesn't want to setup these facilities and insists on treating the Indian citizens as secondary citizens in THEIR country? Where is there secularism in this? The so called "educated" society argues that such actions are necessary so they don't feel discriminated against therefore it is secular, which is base of democracy. Once again these "educated" people seem to lack the capacity to even understand the fact that democracy is based on the idea that all citizens are equal and will be governed by one law and the lawmakers will be chosen by the people. In what sense is this secular or democratic!? If this is secular then I would love to hear what these "educated" people think appeasement is, given that such a word even exists in their world. The real kicker of this situation is that majority of this "educated society" is comprised of journalists, people in high positions in society and scholars of which 80% claim they are Hindus. It is pivotal that these people and everyone understand that getting your diploma which reads you have obtained your Bachelors, Masters, or whatever the degree may be doesn't equate one to being educated unless they obtain the tools necessary to implement the ideas taught in academia into other parts of their lives. What is the use of your education if you can't think on your own? What is the use of your education if after academia, you still blindly believe things that are placed in front of you? What is the use of your education if you falsely fall prey to idiotic propaganda? What is the use of your education if after 22 years you still can't understand the fact that not voting because you don't "like" any of the candidates is by far the worst thing to do? As a final note, what is the use of an education if you can't understand the basic definitions of secularism and democracy, yet you're so keen on agreeing with people who use them as punchlines.

Bharat = Kashmir se Kanya Kumari tak part 6

This column appears on the eve of the birthday of Krishna, son of Devaki. At the time of his birth, his parents were put behind bars by the King fearing death at the hands of their son, as the gods had prophesied. For Devaki and Vasudev, Krishna's father, there was no hope, no chance of getting help from any close friend or relative or the awakened citizens of Vrindavan and Mathura- everyone was terror struck, feared for his life in the kingdom of Kamsa, Devaki's brother. Yet, Krishna survived. Kamsa was killed. Citizens were provided protection and safety. Kaliya, the great serpent king was humbled and made to respect people who lived on the banks of Yamuna. Krishna fought wars but before every action he tried his best to persuade the wrong doer. When he found the evil empire unrepentant, he simply annihilated the entire clan. Forever. He restored Dharma, the righteousness. He became an emperor par excellence, he performed divine dance with Gopikas and had his famous Ras Lilas, yet the only Krishna that makes relevance today is the one who used his Sudarshan Chakra , the celestial weapon to re-establish righteousness and overpower the terrorists, deleting their remnants from the earth. He was our ancestor and we are the rightful inheritors of his legacy. I saw Jammu turned into Krishna, joyfully victorious and unstoppable. And Tawi as Yamuna, gleefully giving way to the pals of Krishna. But how, we, the controllers of power and pen in Delhi, ultimate reservoir of all wisdom, are living his legacy? Instead of warning and annihilating the demons and terrorists ruthlessly, we are suggesting giving them what they want whole of Kashmir-to buy a peace that will never come to us this way. No body respects a coward and his peace making exercises. Even barbaric Jihadis would respect the words of a brave unyielding challenger and not the phony writers and journalists who would insult their tricolor for a piece of story or fame as a peacemaker pen pusher. We compromised to divide our motherland to buy peace- what we got in return were four wars and death of more than sixty thousand brave young soldiers. You give Kashmir today for peace, they will demand Haryana and Himachal next and Delhi another day. Ask the wife and the mother of a martyred soldier who fought the war for Kashmir? Did they do it for money? Ask those Kashmiri Hindus who were an inseparable part of Kashmir's being but were hounded out by Muslim Jihadis just because their women wore Bindis and men chanted Shiva mantras? Now give this Kashmir to the assaulters? A woman raped is being asked to go back to the rapists because they won't live without her? Now read this carefully. "The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been and shall be an integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means. "India has the will and capacity to firmly counter all designs against its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and demands that Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir which they have occupied through aggression." The Indian Parliament passed this resolution unanimously on 22nd February 1994. Before presenting it in the house, the speaker said -'Each word and sentence of this resolution has been seriously considered by the government and the leaders of the opposition parties.' Every party endorsed and passed this. Was that a facade? Now every word of this resolution is sought to be turned into a joke, a meaningless exercise of some foolish people who pass resolutions just to pass time and earn their allowances.
Some of the Indian journalists and writers who earn name and fame and money for their being an Indian have chosen to advice to 'liberate' Kashmir and not to force Indian 'colonialism' on a people who do not want to be recognized as Indians. It sounds damn good if read in New York and Rome. But what about those who are Kashmiris and patriots and want to live with India? Who still have land and homes in the valley? And they are Muslims too. Who are the 'people' these worthies have recognized as those who do not want to live with India? Jihadis? Those blood thirsty anti Indians who have been fed on Pakistani money and propaganda to hate Hindus and India and burn tri-colours to make this region a Nizam-e Mustafa , only for the Muslims so that they can share the booty? Like they have been fighting over the question of leadership with each other presently? Mir Waizs and Geelanis and Butts and Muftis and Abdullah's- not a single so-called Muslim leader of the valley, supporting separatism is at peace with another Muslim 'brother in arms'. And now as NSA Narayanan has hinted the separatist leader's murder during a march to Mujaffarabad was a result of an internal clash. But sitting in Delhi and enjoying suspicious hospitalities make some writers to write the junk against the very tricolor that defines their identity on this planet. The timing and synchronizing of 'Azadi to Kashmir' views is significant. All of them belong to one family of hating anything done by the nationalist activists. The profligacy they have exercised is quite understandable in times like these when India is being ruled under a dispensation that favours western ideas and policies for domestic governance. Amarnath agitation has already taken an unprecedented shape, which they had never visualized. In such a situation, the suggestion to 'liberate' Kashmir has been put forward to demonize Hindus and strengthen the anti- national Islamist agitation in the valley, by those who wield a considerable influence in media and are not Muslims. If 'liberate' Kashmir chorus is a spontaneous reaction to the demonstrations being held in the valley, why was the massive upsurge of the patriotic people in Jammu not considered at an equal weight and columns written to listen to the voice of India? Why the tricolor people of Jammu are discarded and ignored as a worthless opinion and all hearts go to listen to the foul cries of separatism? And the secularism of such voices gets quite evident when valley newspapers put on headline like these-'Geelani says- Islam and Pakistan central to Kashmir movement' (Kashmir Times, 19th August, 2008). Those who wont give an inch of their south Delhi -Gurgaon apartments to the neighbor are vexing eloquent to give away Kashmir to blood thirsty terrorists. What is the reason behind the separatism of the valley Muslims? Economic or religious? Economic reasons can be sorted out in a different manner, if they feel they have been deprived of opportunities and financial grants. Surely once in the planning commission's board room, they would discover that the rest of India has genuinely taken less than what it gave to the valley. Now after 1947, this has become another flashpoint of division just on the basis of religion. We are Muslims, we can't live with a Hindu India, was the war cry of Jinnah's hordes pre '47. It was followed by direct action, Calcutta killings, green flags and finally Gandhi, the Hindu Vaishnav yielded and said, ok, take Pakistan but let's live in peace. We compromised, our ahimsa was taken as cowardice and we got wars, immediately we had the land partitioned. Now again, some wizards have tried to create an atmosphere to allow Kashmir's secession for peace. Do they understand it won't end at just Kashmir, but trigger off an avalanche of demands for separate nations from the east to south and later in the west too? Accept NSCN's demand to have a separate Nagalim ? And ULA's Assam nation? Manipur wants a separate nation too as they claim they didn't celebrate 15th August 1947 as their independence day. Should we tell them to shut up because till now no senior journalist has recommended their freedom? We have a dozen flashpoints waiting to secede and declare freedom. Tamil nation and a Maoist corridor joining Nepal's Reds? There is a fantastic map on the internet declaring a Mugalistan , a complete green Muslim land beginning from Pakistan, including Kashmir and UP's border areas, having already gobbled up Ladakh and Himachal and Uttarakhand and reaching till Assam. One would have just laughed it away if the present valley agitation hasn't ignited treacherously innocent suggestions by writers whom you can't ignore. It takes time to get bad things precipitate enough. Assam is already in the grip of Bangladeshi Muslims. Whatever you say of secularism or rising above religious fault lines, the truth of the matter is Kashmir is a communal cauldron and so is Assam. It's simply a Hindu Muslim issue, you can ignore only at the cost of national integration. They are fed on political expediencies. Like in Assam the IMDT act was helping foreign infiltrators yet government at the centre didn't revoke it till Supreme Court ruled against it and in spite of that the act was re introduced from the back door. In Kashmir the people were never allowed to feel as Indians by introducing a separate constitutional provision under article 370 so how can you expect them to behave as Indians? Delhi's media sultans feel sun will not rise without their approval. They can enjoy the fizz of their arrogance, but the sun rises on its own and maintains its temperature too. I am filing this column from Jammu where people are showing the Indian way of patriotism to the valley. Every street and road is empty unless there is a demonstration. Traders have shuttered down their shops continuously for more than a month. Small entrepreneurs, auto rickshaw drivers, labourers are all off the work. Schools have not opened since last three months as immediately at the fag end of summer vacations the Amarnath Movement began. Banks are closed, sms's are prohibited, no public transport is available, it’s an unimaginable nightmare during any emergency. But who cares? To feed the citizens city is having free meals (langars) organized at more than fifty points where at an average one lakh people take meals twice a day costing ten lakh rupees per day. Every house hold is giving donations to run such langars without complaint. But strangely enough, the divide we see between valley and Jammu is reflected between media of Jammu and Delhi too. What Jammu's mainline papers are reporting doesn't get reflected in Delhi's papers and channels who have become self appointed guardians of secularism and peace of their own variety and think if they suppress the factual position on Jammu, peace will be restored soon and communalism will not spread. So when the patriots agitate, its communalism and needs to be suppressed. But when Pakistani flags are hoisted atop Lal Chowk and tricolor burnt amidst chants of Allah O Akbar and Pakistan Paindabad, it has to be reported 'objectively' and with full focus so that the sentiments of separatists are not hurt or suppressed! Strange media ethics these seculars follow. What son of Devaki won't have tolerated is being allowed by his followers. Isn't it the time to revive his spirit of Geeta and win a war of righteousness? The body alone perishes; the spirit remains immortal, so why fear O Arjuna?
Jammu is feeling the heat of Delhi's attitude to ignore its demands and term the entire movement as a political one. A Congress leader equated Jammu's patriotic agitation with the Hurriyat, that demands secession. Home Ministry thinks it can use the Chinese method to fatigue the movement by procrastination and prolonging talks and make these people bend on their knees. This approach is further fueling the fire and will ultimately result in people using more violent methods to have their voice heard. The frustration and fierce angst is to be seen and believed, sitting in Delhi doesn't give even an iota of the truth that's Jammu today. A senior columnist in Jammu gave me a table of figures detailing how Jammu had been treated unfairly all these years and still people never agitated. So, why have we been dust binned? He asks - Just because we remained patriotic and peaceful? Suppose we demand a separate Jammu nation and hold a secessionist flag, won’t the entire media and government come to listen to us and accept our demands the way they appease valley's Muslims-? This was a dangerous question posed to me by an agitated software engineer in Raghunath Pura. Here are a couple of statistics that prove his point -
Jammu region / Kashmir valley region
Area-26293 sq kms / 15948 sq kms
Total revenue generated-75 % / 20%
Total voters-3059986 / 2883950
Assembly seats allotted-37 / 46
Voters per seat-66521 / 49728
Area per assembly seat-710.6 sq kms / 346.6 sq. kms.
Loksabha seats-2 / 3
Cabinet ministers(till 7th July,08) -5 / 14
Districts-10 / 10
Area per district-2629 sq. kms / 1594 sq. kms
Unemployment status-69.70 % / 29.30%
Representation in state govt. jobs-1.2 lakhs / 3lakhs
Percentage of employees from local area-less than 25% / 99%
Power generation -22 Mega Watt / 304 Mega Watt
Annual tourist traffic-80 lakhs plus / Less than 4 lakhs
Expenditure of revenue on tourism sector-less than 10% / Plus 85%
Rural electrification-less than 70% / 100%

Bharat = Kashmir se Kanya Kumar tak part 5

While as the Kashmiri terrorists & separatists groups like Hurriyat ,JKLF & PDP tried their best to ensure that the facilities of Hindu pilgrims should be stopped,at the same time they had been fairly successful in propagating false “Kashmiriat” . The fact remains that the word Kashmiriat was always used to hide the oppression and religious persecution which had been carried on for more than 1000 years against peaceful hindus in Kashmir.

While as Jammu has been shutdown now for 60 days, the inactive Govt has almost turned deaf ears and blind to people of Jammu,who have been treated as second class citizens in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The whole agitation would probably take a dramatic turn, as it has now come to notice that the land for Hindu pilgrims in Baltal is now being used to construct a Mosque,Jama Masjid. Not only is it a proof of the real intent of Kashmiriyat which tried to boast of being “good host” to Amarnath Pilgrims , but proves the intolerance towards Hindus in Kashmir.

Mosque being built at controversial site in Baltal. It reads Jama Masjid -Baltal : Courtsey : The Shadow
This brilliant piece of Expose has been done by The Shadow ( http://www.dailyshadow.in/ )
I was told by my contact, who wishes to remain anonymous , that Omar had even given some strong statements which would be of big discomfort to India , in an interview on PTV. Though i tried very hard to get the video of that interview, i could not. If someone has, pls share it with rest of us.
On his return from Pakistan Omar Abdullah said the following in a TV Interview :-

"If opinion makers across the country are talking about Azadi, let’s bring it on
the table. Let’s go the whole hog then and talk about the Azadi of the entire
state of Jammu and Kashmir. Let’s talk about the UN resolutions….If that is the
way forward, let us not shy away from it. I know which way I am gonna turn. "

Meanwhile In Kashmir ,the Hawkish Syed Ali Geelani wanted Islamic governance in the whole state of Jammu & Kashmir. In an interview to Asha Khosa he said
"Ever since my release from prison on August 7, 2004, I have been spreading my message across Kashmir. I have a target. Fi st is to impose an Islamic nizam (jurisprudence) in Kashmir. Islam should govern our lives, be it in our political thought, socio-economic plans, culture or the ongoing movement. The creed of socialism and secularism should not touch our lives and we must be totally governed by the Koran and the Sunnat (precedents from Prophet Mohammad’s life). Secondly, I have been propagating that we must fight against anti-Islamic forces. These forces come in our way under the garb of nationalists, secularists, racists, linguistic chauvinists, and so on."

No matter how much Indian Government pampers the people of Kashmir, it is hight time that India stops being a soft state. Between 1990 and 2002 , the central Government gave Rs 35,571 crores in grant to the J&K government, which got doubled in next five years ie between 2003-2008 , the J&K Government got Rs 38,516 crores. While as in 2007-2008 J&K Government contributed Rs 533 crores to the central govrnment in taxes, it received Rs 1471 crores in return and an additional Rs 8962 crores in grants.The revenue of J&K Government of Rs 2229 crores is not even sufficient to cover the salary bill of Rs 4389 crores. While as the Indian central Government spends close to Rs 12000 / per person in Jammu & Kashmir , it spends Rs 700 per capita in UP. This level of appeasement needs to be stopped. The militants ,terrorists and separatists needs to be crushed with an iron fist.Equal opportunities to be given to people of Jammu & Ladakh and dominance of smaller region,Kashmir,should be stopped over whole state of Jammu & Kashmir. Efforts should be initiated towards abolition of Article 370 , else this article actually proves the rest of country citizens to be inferior.

Meanwhile the vale of Kashmir reverberates with the slogan of “Bharat Teri Shahmat Aayi …Lashkar Aaayi…Lashkar Aaayi. [ Translation : India , you are now faced with worst time as "Lashkar" has arrived ]. For those of you who are not aware , Lashkar is being is a short name of Lashkar E Toiyaba , the dreaded and banned terrorist organization having close links with Al Qaida. Lashkar is also known as “Lashkar e Taiba “

Bharat = Kashmir se Kanya Kumari tak part 4

[According to Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, "The memorandum seeks a UN intervention for the permanent resolution of Kashmir issue in the wake of the economic blockade imposed on the Valley."National conference chief Omar Abdullah has threatened to quit if the unbridled use of force continued against protesters in Kashmir while the group leading the protests in Jammu is threatening to march to Baltal where the land transfer took place.]

Its amazing how these "secular leaders" are ready to beg in front of the UN when no one in their community has been touched however there was pin drop silence when the Kashmiri Pundits were being massacred left and right during the 1980's and 1990's. If they are as they claim to be "secular" then why didn't they oppose the terrorists when they were killing citizens of India and why do they expect the central government of India to support them when they themselves don't consider themselves Indian and call themselves "separatists" which is nothing but fancy word for a terrorist!. How are these people any different from Al-Qaeda??? Because they're not any different they should be dealt with the same way as the U.S. dealt with Al-Qaeda. Those who are reading this, always remember that those who are separatists/revolutionaries are those who are fighting injustice / tyranny so don't disrespect those in the history of the world who have fought against such evil forces by labeling these fundamentalists in Kashmir as separatists. They are mere terrorists in disguise who have taken full advantage of their greatest fore father M.K. Gandhi who basically laid the foundation of the massacre of the Kashmiri Pundits by designing article 370 and passing it into the Constitution through his puppet Nehru.

Bharat = Kashmir se Kanya Kumari tak part 3

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday night condemned "human rights violations" in Jammu and Kashmir but in a speech to his nation didn’t speak about the Government’s plan to impeach him.
"Every Pakistani is with our brothers and sisters in Srinagar. Kashmir beats in the heart of every Pakistani," Musharraf said in a speech on the eve of Pakistan's independence day.
Musharraf's remarks came hours after the Pakistan government said it was contacting the UN and would ask it to take note of the violence in Kashmir.
Musharraf described as "martyrs" the 21 people who died in the violence in Kashmir in the last couple of days.
Mushrraf's comments appeared to be an attempt to divert attention of his countrymen from the impeachment threat he was facing in Parliament.

Where were the humar rights violation cries during the 80's and 90's when Kashmiri Pundits were slaughtered and driven out of their own homes and asked to leave their women behind for the pleasure of these very same "brothers and sisters" ??? If they cant answer that then musharraf and his hypocritical countrymen need to shut up and worry about the NWFP region where al-qaeda still operates freely.

Bharat = Kashmir se Kanya Kumari tak Part 1

The Amarnath land row in Kashmir has proved that if Muslim politicians of the valley feel strongly about something they can make the government bend and accept their demands. So it is hypocrisy when they complain in some summits in London that Delhi doesn't heed them or they have less power to rule the valley 'appropriately' and hence need more autonomy. They fought on the streets and denied a piece of land to Hindu pilgrims to be used for facilitating a night's stay and food in that snowy area just for two months. The land was barren; not a single tree grows there and not one person was to be stationed there permanently. Yet the votaries of Kashmiriyat, who would announce day and night how keen they are to see Kashmiri Hindus return to their localities and how their religion stands for love, compassion and peace, stood firm, spreading lies to ensure that Hindus do not get an inch of space for a temporary shelter. They said it is a place which will be used to reduce Muslims in the valley to a minority. The land is forest area, Hindus will destroy the environment, they said. It's a plot by Indians to assault Muslims of the valley. Hence, land will not be given at any cost, the politicians said. They won. And they knew what they are saying to defend their indefensible position are all lies. The first thing the new governor N N Vohra was made to do was to take back the proposal on behalf of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board for the acquisition of approximately 100 acres of land. He didn't begin his tenure trying to see Kashmiri refugee Hindus are returned with honour and safety to their homes. Nor could Vohra hold any meeting to ensure the valley is free from jihad and that developmental plans are executed to benefit all patriotic citizens. The first move that a Hindu majority country's constitutional appointee took was against the interests of Hindus. I am sending this column from Kolkata where, being involved in a seminar on security, I saw a message from the then Governor General Sinha wishing that the seminar goes off well. It is the kind of message that holders of gubernatorial posts often send but there is a difference: while all constitutional authorities use just one symbol of the state insignia - that is, the replica of the Sarnath pillar with four faces of the lion - in Jammu and Kashmir, another state insignia is used parallel to the Indian one, representing Jammu-Kashmir. The only state in India which has a separate flag and a special power bestowed on it by the constitution is Jammu and Kashmir. On an average it gets 10 times more grants compared to any other Indian state yet it complains a hundred times more about Delhi's discrimination and prejudice. The jawan who protects the people and the territory with his sweat and blood is not allowed to buy an inch of land in the state due to the constitutional provision of Article 370 which bars any Indian from settling down in Kashmir. Dr Syamaprasad Mookerjee, who became the youngest vice-chancellor of Calcutta University at the age of 34 and later founded the Bharatiya Janasangh, fought against the special powers bestowed upon Jammu & Kashmir that separated it from the rest of the country and paid for his patriotism with his life. He began a movement in 1953 opposing the state's separate entity, was arrested at the state's border on May 11, 1953 and kept under house arrest in Srinagar. He was brought dead to Kolkata, his hometown, on June 24, 1953 (he breathed his last under mysterious circumstances in custody of the Jammu & Kashmir govt on June 23). Born on July 6, 1901, he was barely 52 when his death shook the nation. Prime Minister Nehru refused an inquiry and while Syama Prasad's mother Jogmaya Devi wrote a poignant letter which drew a rude reply. Kolkata was up in protest and even Somnath Chatterjee, the current Speaker of the Lok Sabha, wrote a letter of protest which was published in the Manchester Guardian. Syamaprasad's martyrdom made a difference in the sense that the provision of having two heads of the state was abolished and the sadar-e-riyasat (head of state) system was replaced with the usual governorship in vogue elsewhere. 'They have killed him' Was Syamaprasad killed? Yes, said the Mother in Pondicherry. He was an ardent devotee of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother had great hopes from him to change the politics of India. In a book written by an ardent devotee of Sri Aurobindo, Manoj Dasgupta (Dr Syamaprasad Mookerjee "a pure and manly life", pp:52,53,) he has described a conversation which is quit revealing. He writes: 'I may add here a personal note in this context (death of Dr.Mookerjee while in detention in Kashmir). It was during the 'de facto' transfer of Pondicherry [1954] the Ashram was invited to participate in a cultural programme. One evening when the Mother came out of the interview room in the playground (of the Ashram), she began to talk to Debu and me about the preparations for the programme. In course of the conversation the question of the present political situation in India came up. I told Mother that in earlier times we had such great leaders, today we have none. She said that politics was always steeped in falsehood and that was one of the reasons why Sri Aurobindo left politics. Among the present leaders, she said that she had reposed great hope on Syamaprasad, but: "Ils l'ont tue ' They have killed him. (The entire conversation was in French). When I looked at her with surprise, she said, "My child, you don't know, that there are many ways of killing with slow poison." Why was Syamaprasad denied a space and life in Kashmir for his just and patriotic demands? My friends tirelessly write about Kashmir's patriotic past and how during Pakistan's surprise attack in 1947, Kashmiri Muslims had raised the slogan - 'Hamlawar khabardar, hum Kashmiri hain taiyyar (Attackers beware, we Kashmiris are ready to face you)". If Kashmiri Muslims were so patriotic, why was Syama Prasad not given a place of honour in the valley for his efforts to bring Kashmir at par with other Indian states? Like Amarnath yatris have been denied space by the present Kashmiri Muslim politicians, patriots like Syamaprasad were denied a space by the secular media and politicians of the same ilk. In fact the socio-political space for assertive nationalists is sought to be reduced in every sphere of life. It's difficult to publish your views in the so called 'free, objective and independent' media and even if some space is given, the seculars frown upon it as if an anti-national act has been committed. The entire coverage of the Amarnath land row proves it. The slant is too visible against one set of people and favouring the prophets of denial. Why is this so? Watch the well-orchestrated denial of space to India since the Shaikhs and Muftis have ruled Kashmir. The region got its name from Rishi Kashyap. This legend is sought to be denied or underplayed so much that it's almost invisible now in any contemporary note on Kashmir's history. Kashmir's legacy of a citizen King, Lalitaditya, is denied and dustbinned and the language of the land, the base of any variety of Kashmiriyat, i.e. Kashmiri is denied a rightful place of honour in state affairs. Yes, the state language of Kashmir is not Kashmiri, but Urdu! Because the Shaikhs in their progressivism, reinforced by their leftist supporters, thought that Urdu belongs to Muslims and Jammu and Kashmir, being a Muslim-dominated area, must have Urdu as its state language. And yet they talk of some Kashmiriyat. They saw their Hindu neighbours being killed, raped and maimed and yet, not a single Muslim Kashmiri took out the kind of protest demonstrations which were done to protest the sanction of a piece of land for the Amarnath pilgrimage. And yet they say Kashmiriyat means love, peace and harmony.
When Hindu temples were razed and deities desecrated, when orchards of Hindus were destroyed and posters pasted on their homes asking them to leave the valley sans their women, who were the Kashmiri Muslims who wrote even letters to editors denouncing such heinous acts? When massacres like Wandhama occurred and infants were shot dead by terrorists wielding AK-47s, the case was officially closed even before an inquiry could have been set up. Which Kashmiri Muslim leader stood firm and said 'this is not done, we will ensure that till the culprits (who were all too well known) are brought to book, the case will remain open?' Now, having forced the newly-appointed governor to take back the Amarnath Shrine Board's application for land, they say they will provide all help to pilgrims. They forgot that hundreds of Hindu pilgrims have died in snowstorms in previous years, mainly due to tortuous weather and inadequate facilities. When Hindus wanted a small shelter on a barren waste land just for the two months of the yatra season, they were denied. Can we have a better version of Kashmiriyat please? But when the matter of Haj comes up, they are provided every facility at government expense - yes, the Delhi government's expense. Haj houses, increased quotas every year, ambulances, hospitals, doctors and free delegates for Mecca at government expense. Extra-large Haj terminals and extra-constitutional reservations in jobs and educational facilities. But space for Hindus is unacceptable. It's not a question of Kashmir politics, but shows a mindset that grows on hate and intolerance. It's not an issue of denying Hindus a space in the valley or in the so called mainline media, but an attitude that denies India in pursuit of state facilities. It's a cowardly attitude indeed. Otherwise why would the papers published in the valley or in the secular realm of Delhi use the inexplicable term "militants" for terrorists. Can anyone explain why terrorists are not called such, but are glorified as "militants"? Do we need to send them copies of Oxford dictionaries to understand the difference between a terror-striker and a fighter for a cause called militant? I have enough material to prove step by step, line by line how the people of Kashmir and the rest of India were fooled by Srinagar politicians on the Amaranth land row. But what will it prove in face of a decidedly hateful attitude against a particular community? The same Rainas, Bhatts, Kauls, the same blood and ancestors, same language and cultural lineage, same skin and race, and yet, just a little change in the way of worship makes one to hold rifles and the other to pray for mercy. Remember, the Kauravas too had denied space to their brothers. They told Krishna the Pandavas will not even get space equivalent to the tip of a needle. But the Pandavas ultimately made a mark because they were right.

Bharat = Kashmir se Kanya Kumari tak Part 2

None should say Omar is not allowed in Jammu. Let him come, listen and speak. Like any other Indian should feel free to visit Kashmir or any other part of the nation. He is welcome to visit my home even if he denies me a piece of land in Kashmir. Why should a few words uttered by him make me change my Indian-ness? If he spoke in Parliament as a Muslim, asserting his Islamic identity, let denial of land to Hindus be his Islam and my Hinduness must keep my nation as a free democracy where difference of opinion is a natural phenomenon unlike Islamic countries. I had listened to Omar Abdullah when he was in Vajpayee's cabinet and felt he had great potential to be an influential Indian leader. He spoke for India and brilliantly too. Now, if he has chosen to be just a regional one, it's his choice. But he must stop to think why he can own a bungalow in Delhi or Bangalore and at the same time deny that privilege to a fellow Indian in Kashmir? Kashmiri Muslim leaders would like to enjoy the fruits and liberties of a Hindu majority democracy but vehemently deny that to Hindus in their area of influence. Why? When they are in a minority they crave and get special privileges. But once a majority, every single right to be at par is refused to other minorities. It's the same phenomenon all over the globe. A direct consequence of turning Wahabi. Wahabi intolerance and separatism is poisoning Muslim brotherhood too. A brilliant report in TOI elaborating how Wahabi elements are gaining ground in the small towns of Gujarat and the softer, humane version of Islam, the Bareilevi school, which is resisting their aggressive expansionism makes an interesting reading and gives a frightening picture of the inter-communal strife within Muslim society. Kashmir is predominantly Sunni and Wahabi. Hence the intolerance that denies even the basic features of Kashmiriyat. And see what the de-Indianised intellectuals wrote on the front pages in Delhi's newspapers: "All over a piece of land!" Really? Then why are the Indian soldiers defending a barren piece of dead snow in Siachen? Or what's that piece of cloth known as the Tricolor? Is it worth dying for? Jammu is witnessing a mass patriotic uprising, unprecedented till now. It's a Second Ayodhya enveloped in the Tricolour outshining the 1952 Praja Parishad movement, which demanded one flag, one constitution and one head of the state. Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was martyred for this cause in the jail of Sheikh Abdullah, grandfather of Omar. The situation hasn't changed in the last 56 years. It has in fact worsened. Such a mass movement goes beyond the controls of any party or organisation. For the last 20 days, the roads are empty and markets closed. The sudden eruption of protests has seen grandfathers and grandsons and mothers and grandmothers ringing bells against Muslim separatism and shouting at the top of their voice: "Har har Mahadev". Such a protest by every single member of families who had never come out for a public demonstration can't be engineered. It's an uprising, a spontaneous expression of anger accumulated in the last five decades of misrule by people of suspect loyalties. The Doctor’s Association, Bar Association and Govt. Employees Association, Sikhs, Gujjar-Bakkarwal Muslims and Congress MLAs defying their party, the Hotel Association and every single sect of Hindu society have joined and supported the movement.
One young man, Kuldeep Kumar Dogra, took his life in utter disgust after reciting a patriotic poem before the hunger strikers in Jammu. Policemen in plainclothes forcibly took his body away and tried to burn it in his village in the dead of night without even informing his family. A monk saw them burning the pyre with country-made liquor and used car tyres and managed to alert the villagers. The policemen ran away seeing the protesters swelling in number. And none of the human rightists raised a voice of dissent. Did the policemen belong to India or an enemy country? In fact the whole movement is a revolt of Tricolour people against unpatriotic politics on Kashmir. It's an effort to reclaim India in a region where the central leaders and regional parties have abandoned the idea of pan-Indian nationalism and geographical integration. India has been reducing every day in the valley and the seculars keep on counting their votes and encouraging separatists at the cost of an Indian identity. After all, the Amarnath Shrine Board was created on the recommendation of the Nitish Sengupta Committee formed by the state government in 1996 when more than 250 Amarnath pilgrims died in a snowstorm. That made the state government realize that facilities are inadequate and hence a committee was formed under the chairmanship of retired senior IAS officer Sengupta. The government accepted the recommendations of the committee a year later and decided to create a separate board on the pattern of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board through an act passed by the Farooq Abdullah goverment in 2000. The Secretary, Tourism Depaetment, was appointed CEO of the board. Initially, toilets and other facilities were added but they proved inadequate as neither the office of the shrine board was set up nor any staff worth its name was appointed. It was only when Gen. SK Sinha took over as Governor in 2003 and hence became Chairman of the Shrine Board that the office was established with Arun Kumar, IAS, as its full-time CEO. Kumar changed the entire gamut and pilgrims were provided with livable camping facilities. Earlier, mahants and local interest groups were taking home all the offerings of the shrine. Now the shrine board regulated the income, spending it on providing more facilities to pilgrims and regularizing the fare structure regarding pony hiring, collies, camping sites, toilets and emergency medical help. The chief mahant was given huge compensation and other Muslim helpers were employed in the board. Kumar also introduced bacterial toilets using the latest Japanese technology which was environment-friendly and turned night soil into usable fertilizer for local farmers. Prior to this, concrete toilets had proved a colossal waste as they would get choked and the entire structure needed to be demolished. But this had proved profitable for the local contractors; hence, when the new green technology was introduced the contractors’ lobby protested and the then Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayed, halted the work in 2005. As a result of it, the Shrine Board approached the High Court which gave a stay order and the work continued. It's noteworthy that during the while that the Secretary, Tourism was acting as the CEO of the Shrine Board, all the toilets and camping facilities were constructed on government land and nobody objected. It was only when the bribe channels were stopped for the politicians’ protégés that they objected to government land being used for pilgrims. Hence, after the stay was obtained from the High Court, the Shrine Board asked the state government in 2005 to regularise use of government land by formally transferring a few plots of land to the board en route to the Amarnath shrine. It took three years to take a decision and finally on May 26 this year, the state cabinet passed a proposal diverting (not selling or leasing) 38 hectares of land near Baltal to the Shrine Board on a temporary basis at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. The Minister of Forest, under whose jurisdiction the land was diverted for the Shrine Board's use, was a member of the PDP headed by Mufti. After the order was signed, word spread that a huge amount of land had been given to Hindus and now they would come and outnumber Muslims. It's a plot against Kashmiri Muslims, it was argued. An anarchical agitation began with Mufti, the Hurriyat and Omar Abdullah uniting to deprive Hindu pilgrims a camping facility. They needed to support their false presumptions and Arun Kumar's press briefing was used for this purpose by communalising his innocuous statement regarding environment and Hindu-Muslim solidarity. Kumar’s entire press briefing is audio recorded and though he has been suspended and an inquiry instituted, nothing can be proved against him. In fact he is being punished for providing pilgrims better facilities. This is the genesis of the whole issue.
The same government has given hundreds of acres of land to Baba Gulam Shah Badshah University in Rajouri and to the Islamic University in Pampore. None objected. The all-encompassing nature of Hindus is taken for granted as is their timidity. You can tell the facts to those who would like to consider them and not to those who play petty communal politics. Governor Vohra acted on the advice of North Block and not only took back the letter for land allotment on behalf of the Shrine Board without taking board members into confidence, but also gave the charge of providing facilities to the pilgrims back to the state tourism department, which means the same murky business flowering again. With the Shrine Board having no CEO at present, since Kumar's suspension hasn't been revoked, yatra arrangements are in limbo. The Governor's secretary, who has a hundred other tasks, has been asked to take care of the yatra. Hindus have never been treated so contemptuously as is being done under the UPA dispensation. Kashmir is the land of Shiva, the greatest place of the Shaivite school of Hindu dharma. At every mile there was a Shiva temple, but most Hindu temples have been razed in the valley during the Islamic Jihad. More than 70 lakh pilgrims visit Vaishno Devi and Amarnath every year and contribute enormously to the economy of the state. Yet, Hindus have always been looked down upon and driven out of their homes and hearth. This is the Kashmiriyat of the valley's politicians and patriotism of their protectors in Delhi. The Kashmiri leaders, so possessive about a hundred acres, never raise their voice to take back 78,114 sq km of Jammu and Kashmir under the illegal possession of Pakistan. Thousands of square km of land to Pakistan can be tolerated, but "not an inch" to Hindus. It was the political expediency of the communally "secular" leaders that created the land row, but now the agitation has gone beyond the land issue becoming a symbol of the struggle to ensure India's return to the valley. The un-Indian elements have to be defeated so that the honour of the Triclour can be protected in our land. The only fear is that the politicians of Delhi may compromise, betraying the cause of the people anytime. This is the time when a complete abolition of all those acts which segregate the valley from rest of the country are being demanded, including the obnoxious Article 370, and a grand plan to have patriots shifted from various parts of the country to Kashmir valley is implemented, with priority given to soldiers who have served in the area. Jammu's agitation to reclaim India in J&K has to be supported by every patriotic Indian. It's a pain of Indian nationhood and not just of the Jammu region. Failing this movement will fail India.

-- Tarun Vijay (Times of India)