New Delhi: The local youth in Jammu and Kashmir is being driven towards militancy in greater numbers than before owing to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh “pushing its ideology and the Bharatiya Janata Party eager to make greater political gains” in Jammu and Kashmir, said the former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Thursday.
Recent reports point to local youth joining militant ranks in larger numbers.The Hindureported on September 13 that indigenous Hizbul Mujahideen, with almost all members from Kashmir, is now back as the number one militant group in the strife-torn State. “Reports from the police, CID, the Army and our own workers have said militancy is on the rise,” Azad said. “I was in Srinagar for a week very recently. I was told young boys are again getting attracted to militancy.”
He described the phenomenon as a “reaction to the RSS pushing its ideas.” Azad said: “The RSS’s negative thinking has caused another negative reaction: those who had given up separatism are getting alienated.” He also accused the Centre and the State of neglecting the widespread unemployment and lack of development in the State.
Azad said a large number of RSS workers were camping in the guesthouses in Kashmir with the intent of furthering the Sangh’s agenda.
“The BJP in any case is a red rag for Kashmiris,” he said. The last few days have seen protests against the High Court’s September 9 order to ban beef in the State with the BJP State unit pushing for implementation of the ban.
The BJP’s aggressive pursuit of its political ambitions in both J&K and the north-east had created a situation of unease, Azad said. “The BJP is playing with fire by entering the two regions. These are very sensitive border areas. They are also sensitive culturally, climatically and religiously.”
Azad said the increased ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the LoC and the international border had compounded the problem.
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party of misleading voters during the Lok Sabha election campaign last year, he said: “Never before have so many ceasefire violations taken place and never before have so many soldiers or civilians been killed in a span of one year.”
(Inputs from The Hindu)
