Not all Kashmiris are anti-India: Ram Madhav

‘Kashmir violent stir took us by surprise'

Srinagar, August 30: BJP General Secretary and Point man on Kashmir Ram Madhav, who finalized Agenda of Alliance with the PDP, has said that both coalition partners knew they had to be ready for at least three-month long turmoil in Kashmir valley as they expected people to “revolt” and accuse them of “backstabbing” after forming an alliance.

In an interview with a HT, Madhav first time opened up on various issues pertaining to current Kashmir crisis, the queer alliance and how ruling Central government thinks about the people of this ever volatile region.

“After one-and-a-half years, I can now disclose publicly that I used to discuss with Mufti Saheb that once the alliance is stitched, you should be prepared for a three-month unrest, because people would revolt. People will say you have back-stabbed us, you have ditched us, you will face it in your areas and we will face it in our areas,” said Madhav- the architect of the PDP-BJP coalition government.

He, however, said that to their great surprise the alliance was taken as a “natural corollary” of the situation. “But this phase of unrest has come as a bit of surprise to all of us,” he said.

Madhav, a key figure shaping New Delhi's policy towards Kashmir, has made it clear that are “no instant solutions” to Kashmir issue, saying before holding dialogue on Kashmir there is a need to be unanimous on certain issues like “no anti-India activism, no azadi, and also no militancy in Kashmir.”

“No political party or social group should entertain this. J&K is an integral part of India. Militancy has to be tackled with a tough hand,” he said in the interview.

He didn't come clear about the political voices demanding ‘Aazadi', models of autonomy and restoration of pre-1953 status, saying every state in India, including J&K, has “freedom to ask for the moon, but within the four walls of the Indian Constitution.”

However, about the restoration of the pre-1953 status, Madhav said let Kashmiris ask, and let the Indian Parliament decide.

About the ongoing crisis in the valley, the BJP leader said he wouldn't blame any particular party for “inciting trouble”, because when it comes to a state like J&K, “we all should be together” and “no party should fish in these troubled waters”.

“We have succeeded in bringing all the parties, including NC and PDP, on the same page,” he said.

Madhav ruled out that Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani's killing was the sole reason that flared up the unrest in Kashmir.

“After Burhan's death, there was an immediate flare-up. Ten people died. Then deaths of ten people became further trigger. Then agent provocateurs realised that a death a day, a dead body a day, was the best way to continue unrest,” he said.

To a question about security forces being “ruthless, killing protesters, using pellet guns, which gave more ground to those termed as provocateurs”, Madhav was quick to defend the forces saying if they were ruthless and insensitive, there would not have been close to 4000 members of forces suffering injuries of various degrees and a couple of them having died as well.

To a question if not Wani's killing, then what could be the other reasons, he said, “No one knows if there is real alienation or not. Other discourse is about percentage of people involved in this… some say 5 percent; some say 50 percent. Being a close watcher of J&K I don't believe that ordinary Kashmiris are against India. We will be making a grave mistake if we think all the Kashmiris are anti-India.”

Asked if this government has made a mistake in not reaching out to Hurriyat, unlike Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said largely, “the principle remains the same, whether it was Atal Ji or PM Modi”.

Madhav said J&K issue is not just a ‘law and order' issue for them. “We look at it from the perspective of those three terms used fondly – Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat, and Jammoriyat,” he added.

The influential BJP top leader said even the Common Minimum Programme of the PDP-BJP alliance, also talks about engaging with all the stakeholders in the state.

He said there is no question of not engaging with all, but they (separatists) should also try to engage. “The home minister has visited the valley twice; he has kept the doors open to everybody and met a large number of people,” Madhav said.

He said there is a bigger challenge for the separatists as they seem no longer in the reckoning in the valley.

About BJP's next roadmap to address Kashmir issue, he reiterated that there are no instant solutions. “We are ready to engage with people of Jammu and Kashmir based on what Atal Ji used to call Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Jammoriyat.”