The Omar Abdullah government has come under sharp attack with the Union home ministry finding its response lax to the escalating violence in Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir which began last week. While the Opposition BJP on Monday voiced fear over the Kishtwar clashes snowballing into a situation witnessed in the Valley in 1990 when one community was forced to leave, Union finance minister P. Chidambaram assured Parliament of steps taken to maintain peace and dismissed the apprehension voiced by the BJP. He also ruled out ‘’any terror or external link’’ to the violence in J&K.
Speaking on behalf of indisposed home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Mr Chidambaram said the overall situation in the state is under control and asserted that the repeat of 1990, when Pandits were forced to leave Kashmir Valley, will not be allowed. “We will not allow repetition of 1990. We will not allow forced migration. We will not allow forced resettlement,’ Mr Chidambaram said in Rajya Sabha.
While BSP supremo Mayawati demanded Omar Abdullah’s resignation, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley sought to know if the government was trying to impose censorship by not allowing him and other leaders to visit the area. Hitting out at the state government, Mr Jaitley said the state of Jammu and Kashmir is not property of any one family. He said India is not a “banana republic” where an indefinite order is issued under Section 144 banning a person from entering Jammu region. “The violence in Kishtwar and adjoining areas involves the sovereignty and integrity of the country and should not be seen only as a clash between two communities,” he said.
Responding to the concerns, Mr Chidambaram said it is not correct to assume that the undercurrent of tension between one community with another is linked to terror element or external aggression. “There is a challenge of infiltration. There is a challenge of terrorists. There is also challenge of undercurrent of tension between one community with another,” he said. Calling for restraint, Mr Chidambaram also backed the decision of the state government not to allow Mr Jaitley to visit Kishtwar town on Sunday, saying the district administration came to conclusion that it was “not an appropriate time” for the BJP leader to go there. He assured the MPs that they would be allowed to visit once normalcy is restored.
Top government sources said even as violence hit several parts of J&K last week, no arrests were made till Monday afternoon. The post-violence reaction of the state government has been found lax despite sharing of credible intelligence inputs and repeated pleas for strict law enforcement measures, a senior government functionary said.
Virtually making it difficult for the Central government to respond to the violence which gripped more than half a dozen districts of Jammu, sources said state government officials were unavailable and reluctant to share information with the home ministry, stonewalling its efforts.
On Monday, the Upper House saw an impromptu discussion on the J&K situation after Mr Jaitley raised the issue joined by several other members, like Mayawati, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, TMC’s Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Congress member Karan Singh, AIADMK’s V. Maitreyan and JD(U) member K.C. Tyagi.