New Delhi: The Minister of State in Prime Minister, Jitendra Singh has taken a queue from the vision of late Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi for declining talks with the separatists in Kashmir. Minister was replying a question of any proposal of talks with Hurriyat as being the stakeholder.
As long as the Hurriyat Conference supports terror and separatism, the government would not hold any reconciliatory dialogue with them, Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.
“Our agenda of alliance in Jammu and Kashmir says that we will talk to stakeholders. But who are the stakeholders.
Asked if Hurriyat is a stakeholder, Singh said, “Hurriyat too (is a stakeholder). But, why only Hurriyat?”
He added that till the Hurriyat ‘supports' terror and separatism, the government will not talk to their leaders.
Singh invoked former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in defending his government's decision not to talk to Hurriyat.
“You can't shake hands with someone who has clenched fist. This is not me who says this. Indira Gandhi had said this,” she was quoted as saying.
He said the Kashmiri youth want “progress” and not violence.
Jitendra Singh dropped enough hint on a “second surgical strike” against the PoK terrorists, saying there would “definitely be a decisive action” but the government won't reveal plan in advance.
Asked if the government would do something concrete in regard to cross-border terrorism, he reportedly replied in affirmative.
“We will not tell you what we are going to do,” Singh was quoted as saying at India Today Editors' Roundtable conference.
“The security agencies will do whatever is required. You will see the results yourself,” India Today quoted him as saying.
Rejecting the observation that people of Kashmir were alienated, Singh said, on the contrary, the youth of Kashmir today is much more closely connected with mainstream India than ever before.
“Just three days back, 68,000 boys and girls came out for 700 vacancies in the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
“This is a reflection of their choice. This shows that they want to progress and engagement with them is on,” the report quoted Singh as saying.
