The recent report on Kashmir’s ground situation by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who headed a five-member group to J&K, has drawn criticism from the State BJP leadership, unlike separatists who welcomed it.
“The delegation has not gone into the root cause of the present turmoil. It has made a superficial analysis of the situation,” said State BJP spokesperson Prof. Virender Gupta.
On Mr. Sinha and his group’s recommendation to hold a dialogue with all separatist groups, Mr. Gupta said: “These are in line with the suggestions of those who either themselves are separatists or those who directly or covertly support these elements to achieve political mileage. Peace-loving people are against separatists.”
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‘Not all covered’
The BJP accused the Sinha team, which submitted its two reports to the Central government too, of not ascertaining the opinions of the people in the Jammu region and Ladakh.
The Sinha team first visited Kashmir in the last week of September in the wake of four-month-long street agitation, which left over 90 civilians dead. The team was able to break the ice with separatists who had earlier refused to meet the all-party delegation, headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the first week of September. The second report released on January 7 talked about the growing anger, alienation and acknowledgement of the political problem. It also stressed the need to talk to the Hurriyat.
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Besides Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, leaders of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) too welcomed the Sinha report. “The report and should serve as an eye-opener for all those who brush off the Kashmir problem as a mere law and order problem,” said DeM secretary general Nahida Nasreen.