What it means to be an Indian in Jammu and Kashmir?

BJP’s Ekta Rally : Indian democracy vs J and K democracy

What it means to be an Indian in Jammu and Kashmir?

Jupinderjit Singh

The tussle between the BJP and Omar Abdullah led NC-Combine government over former’s move to carry an Ekta Rally to Srinagar and hoist National Flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar and the latter’s equal determination to foil them is over now. Both might be sitting back and assessing the political and personal gains or losses of their respective actions by now.

Large number of intelligent analysts, political observers would be providing their own insight into the gains and losses to the different parties or penning their thoughts. Many of those may have never visited Jammu and Kashmir to understand the perspective of Kashmiris or Ladakhis or those from Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Jammu or Kathua, all parts of the state but each having different views and aspirations.

One agrees to a larger extent that the actions may be political for leaders but would the commoners, the masses, the voters dismiss it as politics? Would the World which is in awe of rising India and which also at the same time believes and work for dividing India look at the developments as merely politics?

Politics is always the game of powerful and intelligent people. Their games are often not understood by majority. And this writer falls in the majority. Only time would tell whose political move was better than the other. This writer in his limited mental capabilities about the regional, national and international politics can do so.

But having or not having a good, sound opinion is another matter. One definitely can have feelings. Feelings for people of the region you live or work or visit. Feelings for your state and above all for your country. And in these two years, one has often felt the odd one out being an Indian in Jammu and Kashmir, “the integral” part of India, as gurranteed by the Constitution of the country.

Every other day, some person, event or statement reminds you of the “outsider” tag. No matter how much you brush it aside in Jammu division, where everyone claims to be with India but no one is ready to leave the special status enjoyed under section 370, the fact remains that an Indian is an outsider in the state. Be it taking a house on rent, a phone connection, gas connection or being checked by cops on the roads, one never feels at home.

And sometimes some powerful persons remind you about in most rude manner. Just few months into the job, a young colleague “dared” to take on a powerful Member of Parliament. The politician in the MP roared that we were outsiders and would be soon thrown back in India from where we had come to “his” state. He even went on to boast that he would personally see us off across the Ravi Bridge. Moments later he retracted and regretted what he said in the heat of the moment but the impact remains till this day. That was what it meant to be an Indian in J and K.

As said above, the gains and losses of the BJP’s foiled ekta yatra and hoisting of the National Flag would be known in time. But a general analysis of people one talks to was that Omar would surely gain stature in the valley where anti-India sentiments are popular and the BJP may gain in the rest of the country. The Congress would gain hearts of people who believe in showing restraints and looking for middle way to find or maintain peace. But who would actually get the votes is what only the time would tell.

One can however dare to talk about an immediate loss. It was the loss of face for the country. For years, Indian government is trying to stem any move to internationalise the Kashmir issue. Both BJP and Omar Abdullah government have conveniently told the world that Kashmir and India are different. God knows who was right or wrong but there surely could have been a better way to handle the situation. One of it would have been to shift the state Republic Day Function to Lal Chowk. The red square is symbol of whose writ runs in the valley. At the height of militancy, Pakistan flags were hoisted there. It surely ruffled feathers in Indian establishment and the Lal Chowk became a struggle spot since then. Hoisting the National Flag there is surely of more importance than the Bakshi Stadium.

One is tempted to wonder if Rahul Gandhi had taken such a yatra and decided to hoist the National Flag at Lal Chowk, what would have been the reaction from Omar Abdullah government?

At the same time, one looks at the present day Jammu and Kashmir and wonders who is benefiting from the decades long Kashmir issue, the violence and special status. Looking around one sees several politicans, who are amassing more wealth with each passing day while the state complains of shortage of funds. One sees their huge villas and farm houses and some of those are of those politicians who were class four employees or running errands doing odd jobs before they arose to such positions. One looks around and sees media persons and media barons, who have reaped huge benefits from the Kashmir issue and many of them were working in hotels or selling boiled eggs over a push cart and selling liquor illegally before they hobnobbed with the powerful and are most powerful now.

One is tempted to again question the martyrdom of soldiers, primarily of those who repulsed the Pakistan Army backed Tribal invasion in 1947 in Kashmir. Those soldiers of the Patiala Army died saving a land which refuses to be an integral part of India and where even the Accession of Jammu and Kashmir is being questioned. One wonders how Pakistan would have treated Jammu and Kashmir if they had won that or subsequent wars. Surely, Chinese would be sitting comfortably in the valley by this time.

Hoisting of the Flag of a political party, state or the country is always an emotional issue. One remembers how sensitive we were in childhood on the flag of our “house” in the school and how we much we used to fight for its honour at annual sports functions. A National Flag has same meaning and same emotions, no matter who is holding it. It should be honoured and a real politician is the one who does that with minimum trouble.

A Journalist with a national English Daily, who originally hails from Kashmir recently penned an article on his dilemma to chose between Kashmiri patriotism and Indian nationalism. This young journalist visited the Kashmir valley at the height of stone pelting last year. Apparently visiting Kashmir after a long time, he courageously admitted being swept away by the anti-India emotions and even pelted stones at a troupe of CRPF jawans. The newspaper he was working with published his daring article full of emotions and feelings. That was not just the high point of the freedom of Indian Media but also of the Indian Democracy, which accepts its own blatant criticism and accepts an emotional stone pelter. Did the J and K government miss the chance for showing the strength of its democracy?

EOM