Press Council of India (PCI) chairperson Justice Markandey Katju on Saturday said the only solution to the Kashmir problem is reunification of India and Pakistan under a strong and “modern-minded” government.
“The cause of the Kashmir problem is the partition of India on a totally bogus basis — that Hindus and Muslims are separate nations... I don’t recognise Pakistan as a legitimate country because the whole basis is the two-nation theory and I don’t accept it,” Mr. Katju said.
He said what is needed is “the reunification of India and Pakistan under a strong, central, secular, modern-minded government which just doesn’t tolerate bigotry.”
Addressing a seminar organised by the South Asia Media Commission here, he said the two-nation theory was encouraged by the British post-1857 to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims.
“Many of my Pakistan friends, they agree now this theory is nonsense... the entire ploy was by the English and you people are a bunch of idiots,” Mr. Katju said.
“90% of Indians are idiots”
Ninety per cent of Indians were foolish enough to be easily misled by mischievous elements in the name of religion, he said. “I say ninety per cent of Indians are fools. You people don’t have brains in your heads... It is so easy to take you for a ride.”
He said that communal violence could be incited in Delhi for as meagre as Rs. 2000. He said that all somebody had to do was make a mischievous gesture of disrespect to a place of worship and people start fighting one another.
“You people will start fighting among yourselves without realising that some agent provocateur is behind this.”
Mr. Katju said that before the London mutiny there was no communalism in the country but the situation was different now. “Today, 80 per cent Hindus are communal and 80 per cent Muslims are communal. This is the harsh truth, bitter truth that I am telling you. How is it that in 150 years you have gone backwards instead of moving forward?” he asked.
“The policy that emanated from London after the mutiny was that there was only one way to control this country, that is to make Hindus and Muslims fight one another,” he said.
Mr. Katju said he was saying harsh things to make the countrymen, whom he loved, to understand the whole game and refrain from making fools of themselves.
