BJP communalising Amarnath for votes
by Jayanthi Natarajan
(asianage.com, 1 September 2008)
It is perhaps difficult to remember, at a time when Jammu is burning and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is so sharply polarised, that the Amarnath yatra has been a shining symbol of India's secular fabric for centuries. According to legend, the Amarnath cave was chosen by Lord Shiva to narrate the secret of immortality to Mother Parvati. Lord Shiva, on his way to Amarnath, left Nandi at Pahalgam, released the moon from his hair at Chandanwari, the snakes at lake Sheshnag, his son Lord Ganesh at Mahagunas Parvat, and the five elements of earth, water, air, fire and sky at Panjtarni. He then entered Amarnath, with Mother Parvati, and narrated the secret of immortality to her. This is the legend of Amarnath.
However, in modern times, Amarnath cave and the holy ice lingam were discovered in the early 19th century by a Muslim shepherd, Buta Malik. Since then, for over 160 years, Hindus have conducted an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave. Although the ancient route was over the mountain passes, via Pahalgam, Chandanwari and Sheshnag, in later years, due to the insurgency problem, a shorter route was organised, also starting from Pahalgam. All these years, the yatra has been conducted peacefully, never tainted or disturbed by communal clashes. In fact, until recently, Buta Malik's family used to look after the shrine and had a share in the offerings given by devotees at the shrine. Through all these years, it was local villagers and Muslims who would house, feed, guide and even carry pilgrims who came for darshan at Amarnath. In this way, the Amarnath shrine and yatra have been a magnificent example of peace and brotherhood between people of different religions, as well as a living tribute to our composite culture.
India is a land of great spirituality, with different faiths thriving side by side. Political parties like the BJP, and organisations like the VHP and RSS, who wrongly claim to be the spokespersons for a religion, have made desperate attempts to exploit religion for their narrow partisan ends. Thus, instead of subscribing to the true spirit of religion which always promotes unity and harmony, they have politicised religion and are attempting to divide people on religious lines, in a desperate attempt to gain political brownie points. Time and time again, BJP's ideological bankruptcy has driven the party to find issues that divide and polarise society in the hope that they may somehow find an emotive and potent electoral issue. It is truly unfortunate for our democracy that our principal Opposition party never raises constructive people's issues, but always bases its agenda on the politics of communalism and division.
The latest attempt by the BJP and its cohorts, in their endless and futile search for emotional and divisive religious issues that may stir passions and yield political dividend, is the land dispute pertaining to the Amarnath shrine. Today, Jammu is burning, and as a result of the ongoing agitation, the security situation has deteriorated. There are constant attempts by Pakistan to infiltrate, and to fire across the border. There is a serious possibility Jammu and Kashmir's hard won peace and prosperity, after decades of insurgency, may be destroyed forever, due to the BJP's attempt to communalise the agitation. The statements and activities of the BJP have also given a handle to anti-national elements in the Valley to attempt to stir passions giving rise to calls for "azadi".
The irony of the situation is that the Amarnath yatra itself is not in any danger. In fact, under the Congress government in Jammu and Kashmir, the flow of yatris increased to a record 529,697 in August 2008 - largest ever number of pilgrims in over 20 years. The pilgrims had safe passage and their comforts were looked after. They made the journey and returned home in safety.
Regarding facilities for the pilgrims, the Jammu and Kashmir government has assumed full responsibility to create the required infrastructure, provide logistical support for the welfare, safety and security of Amarnath pilgrims, and make land available, if required, all along the 400 km-route from Jammu to the holy shrine. Therefore, there is no dispute in this regard as well. So it is through this prism that the issue of land has to be viewed. In this background, the agitation appears to be motivated by extraneous concerns, above and beyond the primary issue of the Amarnath yatra.
This agitation has disrupted normal life, disturbed schooling of children, transport of essential commodities and export of perishable goods from Jammu and Kashmir which provide the state with much needed revenue. The destruction of public property in a state which is struggling to rebuild its infrastructure is particularly condemnable.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir have worked hard to bring normalcy to the state, effectively curbing terrorism. Tourism improved, economic progress received a boost, and communal harmony was excellent. So it is particularly unfortunate that today we are in danger of losing all the gains made in this sensitive state.
Thus, this is a time when the entire nation should work together to restore peace. Although the issue of diversion of land has been controversial for several years now, it is significant that some vested interests are now trying to fan the flames to further their own political agenda. It is highly unfortunate that parties like the BJP are trying to deepen the confrontation in Jammu and Kashmir in order to derive narrow electoral gain. They are also trying to take the Amarnath issue to the other parts of the country, to create communal disharmony. But it is clear that their efforts have miserably failed.
The people of our country are too wise and peaceful to be swayed by the divisive agenda of these vested interests. Our democracy is firmly rooted in tolerance, brotherhood and secularism, and will stoutly reject all attempts to put our unity and integrity in danger, or to destroy our composite culture.
The need of the hour is to stamp out terrorism and any hint of a secessionist with an iron hand. The process of dialogue, initiated by the governor, should receive active cooperation of all stake holders, and political parties should restrain themselves from aggravating the situation with irresponsible statements. It is a matter of utmost importance to our nation that peace and normalcy returns to Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest possible time.
Jayanthi Natarajan is a Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha and AICC spokesperson.
The views expressed in this column are her own.
The column was written before the J&K government and the Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti reached an agreement on Sunday morning and the agitation was called off
|
