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Aug 10, 2008

Jammu Burning - Why?

Today – finally after a month of curfews and pain in Jammu, the central govt is warming up for talks.


Why now? Where was the govt and the national media sleeping all these weeks…?


Why Now? Because the endless agitation in Jammu started hurting the valley… And any discomfort to the valley Muslims is unacceptable to the central govt. Doesn’t matter that the Jammu region burnt endlessly for a month so far – without any attention from the govt or the media. Let them, they deserve it – for having being Indian at heart so far. They deserve to be shot at, subjected to curfews and thrashing – for holding tri-colour in their marches and chanting pro-India slogans.


But when a terrorist like Yasin Malik complains that the valley is getting some discomfort – there is a sense of urgency to find some resolution.


This itself is a sample of the reasons that Jammu is disgruntled with.


Why is only the Kashmiri Muslim psyche important for India? How much appeasement will India tolerate? If APHC objects, the governments of the day bowed down and accepted their demands of withdrawal of land transfer orders.


For 60 years, Kashmiri Muslim polity has subjugated and marginalized the communities in Jammu – which are relatively Hindu dominated compared to the Muslim valley. Even though the Jammu region is bigger in area and population, the successive governments always denied the Wazir commission allocations to the Jammu region – which would have ensured them their due political rights. Even today, the political representation of the Jammu region is just negligible compared to the valley. Not a single CM from the region allowed – not even when the coalition between Congress and PDP was in rule recently. The DyCM in the first part of the rule was a Jammuite’ from Congress – but when the time for a changeover came – Congress was forced to import a Muslim CM – who otherwise had no political basis in the state.


The agitation in Jammu is not just about the land issue – it’s a manifestation of 60 years of frustration and disgruntlement of the population of Jammu. Unlike the media would want you to believe, the BJP and the other Hindu organizations are just at sidelines of this agitation and have no control/role on the mass movement of Jammu


This is evidenced from Ghulam Nabi Azad's admission in the interview that the political class didn't anticipate this reaction from the people of Jammu...

"Being the first chief minister of J&K from the Jammu region, why did you fail to read the anger brewing there before ordering cancellation of the land transfer?

I agree we did not anticipate such a reaction from Jammu. I believe the people of Jammu saw a gang-up in Kashmir against their religious sentiments. They would not have minded the Hurriyat opposing the land transfer but when parties like the NC and the PDP joined in the protests, the people were shocked, and hence the reaction..."

Why was there such a assumption? That's the root cause of this agitation...



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