Tea with The Tribune Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, MLA
‘Decentralisation of power only solution to Kashmir problem’
Tarigami, a man with a balanced mind and a balanced approach, who has become a voice of right-thinking people in the state, had gone through several upheavals in his personal and political life. Coming from a humble family from Tarigam village in Kulgam, he continues to fight for people. The Tribune team talked to him on various issues.
In a tête-à-tête with The Tribune team, Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, CPM MLA from the Kulgam Assembly constituency in Kashmir, shares his thoughts on various issues haunting the militancy-hit state
Following are the excerpts:
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria (RKK): Tell us about your family background. How you became a politician and who inspired you with the Leftist ideology?
Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami (MYT): I belong to a lower middle-class peasant family of Tarigam village and none in my family had any political background. Since my childhood I was a bit emotional and sensitive to the surroundings.
A communist leader, Abdul Karim Wani, used to visit our village for public meetings and my uncle used to take me to his meetings. I was greatly influenced by his thoughts. From there started my political journey.
We first started a movement in Kulgam resisting forcible procurement of rice from farmers during the regime of the then Chief Minister GM Sadiq. During college days, we used to stage protests on burning issues and I along with my colleagues got arrested several times. In fact, I was the first victim of the Public Safety Act (PSA) that was slapped on me in 1979.
RKK: What is the most shocking incident of your life?
MYT: The death of my wife in 1975. It still remains the most shocking incident of my life. I was in jail when she died. Though I was given parole for one month but only after three days, I was rearrested. Prisons became part of my early life. I spent 14 months in a Reasi jail.
Dinesh Manhotra (DM): In a communally sensitive area like Kashmir where fanatic groups like Jamat-e-Islami have great influence, spreading Leftist ideology is a difficult task. How do you manage?
MYT: It is really a difficult task to organise political functions, especially for CPM or other socialist organisations. The Kulgam constituency was earlier considered as a citadel of Jamat-e-Islami. It is the result of our work with the people that we have strengthened our base in that area.
DM: You were in the forefront to form the Third Front in Kashmir to provide alternative to the National Conference and the PDP. Why that experiment failed?
MYT: Political alternatives are a must to make the democracy more vibrant and people oriented. Hegemony of a single political party is not in the interest of the democratic system. We tried to provide an alternative but that effort could not mature. Ghulam Hassan Mir, Hakim Mohammad Yasin and I along with some other right thinking persons had initiated efforts in this direction. Had we contested the 2008 Assembly elections jointly, the political situation today would have been entirely different.
DM: What is the future of the Third Front?
MYT: We have not shelved the idea. I will continue my effort to provide an alternative in the state.
DM: The National Conference and the PDP have given two different proposals for the solution of the Kashmir problem. In your opinion, what is the viable solution?
MYT: In my opinion, demands of self-rule and greater autonomy should not be confined only to some families of Kashmir. There is a need to trickle down decision-making power at grassroots level to increase peoples’ participation in governance on the pattern of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. Keeping in view the topography of the state, decentralisation of power is the one and only solution to meet the aspirations of all sections of society.
RKK: J&K had always remained a communally sensitive state where voices like separate statehood to Jammu, UT status to Ladakh and freedom to Kashmir keep on creating noises. What is your reaction?
MYT: I had and would keep opposing any move to divide the state. In fact, I had moved a resolution in the Assembly opposing any such move. The state today needs a politics of reconciliation in the form of Indo-Pak
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dialogue and talks between the Centre and the state.
RKK: There are voices of discontent also like discrimination between the three regions and within sub-regions. What do you think?
MYT: Unless the three regions talk to each other, things can’t improve. We talk to New Delhi, Pakistan and the US, but a dialogue within the three regions is also indispensable.
Sunaina Kaul (SK): During the last Assembly elections, you got more Kashmir Pandit votes as compared to other candidates. Will you give special attention towards their problems?
MYT: I have close intimacy with the Kashmiri Pandit community. Even if they had not cast their votes in my favour, I would have continued to highlight their problems. They have many issues like unemployment and enhancement in relief.
The state government must pay attention towards their problems.
SK: What is your party doing for restoring trust between displaced Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims in Kashmir?
MYT: The return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley is not an easy task. There is a drastic need for building confidence among the displaced Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. I have been supporting their return and rehabilitation, but we have limited influence. Joint efforts by all political parties and even by Separatists are required.
Ashutosh Sharma (AS): Despite Supreme Court’s ruling, militancy affected migrants of the region are not getting adequate relief. How do you look at the issue?
MYT: It is unfortunate. The government is bound to provide them relief besides rehabilitating them. But it’s not being done. I see it as a human issue that needs a compassionate approach for their welfare. Since they are also victims of militancy they should be treated on a par with the KP migrants.
AS: Do you think the government is serious in eradicating corruption?
MYT: After the demise of its former chairman, Justice RP Sethi, role of the Accountability Commission has reduced considerably. The commission needs to be strengthened to curb corruption.
Secondly, the government has not been able to appoint any chairman for the state RTI Commission. The appointment of its chairman should be time bound and the post should be advertised and a suitable person should be appointed without delay.
There is also a provision in the state RTI Act that only people belonging to the state can seek information. I contest that everyone should be included in the purview of the RTI Act.
AS: What is your reaction to reports about violation of labour laws by employers?
MYT: Even in the government sector, minimum wages are not being disbursed to employees working on ad hoc and contractual basis. Recently, I met laborers working at coal mines in Kalakote. I came to know that even those who have completed 15 years of service are still treated as unskilled labourers. I strongly urge the government to work for the welfare of working class.
AS: Your take on new surrender policy that proposes amnesty to the youth who had crossed over to PoK for arms training and are now willing to come back?
MYT: I was the first legislator who passed a resolution in Assembly advocating their return in 2005. The issue was later hijacked by other political parties. I also stand for the redressal of grievances confronting the alienated sections. So I don’t see any harm if they come back with a changed heart under a due mechanism. Both India and Pakistan should jointly workout in this regard.
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