An Anti-India movement...

"Violence is the only language New Delhi understands"

No no, the title of this post is not my conclusion on the ongoing crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. This was said by a Kashmiri muslim student, Ashma Rashid, last night on CNN-IBN. Sagarika Ghose was moderating her "Face the Nation" program, with 2 students representing Kashmiri Muslim youth and 2 students representing the Kashmir Pandits (an old post by Kanchan Gupta on their plight is here). And in 5th part of this video, at 1:30, Ashma Rashid says that "this is a people's movement.. an Anti-India movement" (twice that too!).

At the beginning of the show, another student Syed, says this at 4:15 (in Part 1 of the video) - "Kashmiri people is on the roads demanding Azaadi(freedom). Demanding that we be heard." When asked what Azaadi means, he says this question should be discussed and there should be a platform. And we were all thinking this show was a platform in itself!

Later, Syed further goes on to say, that "I honestly believe violence is the only language that New Delhi understands" (Part 3, 1:33), while at the beginning of the show he says that he feels "insulted" because his justified protests are being labelled as stone pelting (Part 2, 2:45). When asked if the Pandits ever got violent (Part 5, 0:50) Syed has no credible answer.

At the end of the show, when countered (brilliantly by Radhika Kaul) that Kashmiris just doesn't mean only the muslims you are representing, that it is a very broad term and many people actually don't want freedom, Syed says hold a plebiscite (referendum)! And when pointed out that 61% of people voted in the elections, thereby agreeing to the idea of India, Syed says those elections were fought on Bijli, Sadak, Paani, Rozgaar (Electricity, Roads, Water, Employment) issues, and not on the issue of freedom.

Now, wouldn't anyone living in any country of this world prefer a stable polity that delivers to them the above mentioned promises? And when 61% come out and vote for those promises, are we to read them differently just because "Azaadi" was not on the table? And what happens once you get "Azaadi"? Accede to Pakistan - where you will have no freedom to talk as freely as you do here?! Or administer yourself as a separate country?

Organized protests

Again, this is not me blurting it out. "Hard work went into building the networks that have given the protests direction and focus" says Praveen Swami of The Hindu is this detailed article today. In one of their raids, police have recovered photographs and addresses of 740 people. Guess what that chart was - it was "organisational chart of one of the multiple Islamist networks that had spearheaded the violence in Kashmir towns this summer."

While the famed english TV media anchors have been going gaga on how these protests reflect genuine anger, Praveen Swami in a series of articles has painstakingly exposed how these stone pelting protests have been planned and spanned over such a long period of time. Take for example this piece, wherein he describes in detail how terrorists silenced (read killed) all those leaders who were in favour of a meaningful and peaceful dialogue. Or this piece, where he exposes first hand how "Islamist radical Asiya Andrabi wants schools and colleges shut. Her son wants a passport to study abroad." Not one mention of these folks in our national TV channels - only empathy with the stone pelters.

TV media's role

The conclusion of the Face the Nation completely exemplifies how the TV media tries to mislead. Sagarika Ghose concludes by saying the Kashmiri Muslim students have asked their Pandit "brothers" to return, and therefore all is well. What about the whole "anti-India", "Violence is the only langauge", "We demand Azaadi" rhetoric then? We are to forget it? We are to ignore it? Feel happy that the protests are organized, yet at the end of a 25 minutes show, Pandits have been "welcomed" back? Why don't we want to take this issue head on? Why this reluctance by the TV media (am not getting into NDTV's rhetoric, because a book can be written about it!)?

While Sagarika Ghose and Rajdeep Sardesai tried to take credit for bringing together this panel, the real credit lies elsewhere. The BJP got these students to Delhi. They are ones who organized meetings of these students (in larger groups) with a plethora of politcians over two days. Sadly, the media chose not to cover this. Imagine how much hungama the media would have created if Rahul Gandhi would have done the same thing.

Meeting with Nitin Gadkari and Chidambaram

Anyways, coming back - Tarun Vijay writes here in detail about the meetings.

What stands out are two responses. One by Nitin Gadkari (President of BJP) - "We want you to make progress as proud Indian citizens... The integration of Kashmir with India is final and non-negotiable, from this point of a devotional faith to our nation, all other issues can be discussed. Education, economic development, better governance and a happier social milieu are what we wish for Kashmir and all our states."

Second is by P. Chidambaram (Home Minister of India)- "Be part of the Indian story. The rest will follow naturally. .... Can you expect a soldier, crowded by a dozen stone pelters and feeling helpless, just about to be lynched, not to open fire to save his life? You pelt stones, make security personnel targets, burn government property and expect us to remain silent and do nothing?""

Again, as the national TV media seldom mentions, more than 1200 policemen have been injured in the stone pelting. More than 1200. The inaction of the PM and CM + the glorification of the stone pelters continues....