Hindu group calls for trifurcation of J-K if ‘grand alliance’ is formed

A right wing Hindu nationalist group has called for trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir if a ‘grand alliance’ between the Peoples Democratic Party, National Conference and the Congress takes shape to former the government in the state, where local government elections produced a fractured mandate recently.

Shri Ram Sena’s J&K (SRS) state president Rajiv Mahajan said that “grand alliance” would be dangerous for Jammu and Ladakh regions of the state.

Mahajan said, “The Jammu and Ladakh region have been the worst victims of discrimination at the hands of the successive governments, particularly National Conference and Congress, in the past. The nationalist forces of the state have always been neglected by the NC, Congress and People Democratic Party (PDP) combinations.”

The discrimination with the Jammu region in the field of education, employment, development, and political empowerment has been the main reason for the backwardness of the region, he said.

The historic mandate for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s led BJP in Hindu majority Jammu, he said: has boosted the morale of the youth and refugees of Jammu.

He said if such ‘grand alliance’ comes into power then it would be need of the hour to make Jammu as separate state and Ladakh a union territory.

He argued that in view of Srinagar’s total neglect of and discrimination against Jammu in the matter of political and economic development, a separate state of Jammu was the ‘only way out’ to meet its political aspirations.

The ‘grand alliance’ was mooted by the Congress leader and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, but didn’t receive a response form the NC and PDP.

However, a legislator-elect from the NC, Mohammad Akbar Lone Monday said that PDP, which won 28 seats, will betray the people of Kashmir if it forms an alliance with Bhartiya Janata Party, which managed to win 25 seats in Jammu. He said people voted for PDP against BJP in Kashmir and this party will do injustice to the mandate of the people if it will form government with BJP.

Lone said an alliance between PDP, NC and Congress will have no repercussions and it will not affect Jammu and Ladakh. “All the three parties including Congress, PDP and NC have secured seats from Jammu as well. PDP has its mandate from Rajouri while Congress secured the seats from Ladakh. How can it affect the people of Jammu and all these parties form government in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

The former Higher Education Minister said that some communal people have problem with PDP and NC. “They have to think and it is there problem if they tomorrow come up with a demand for separate statehood to Jammu. The statement issued by Sri Ram Saink is absurd and communal. We have no problem if they want to separate Jammu from Kashmir,” he said.