BJP national general secretary ‘De link Kashmir from In do Pa kt al ks’

CANDID STAND BJP leader speaks about govt’s recent peace overtures in Kashmir

NEW DELHI: Fifty-three-year-old Ram Madhav is the go-to man in the BJP for Kashmir-related affairs, northeast and internal security matters. A former RSS pracharak and, now, one of the most influential BJP leaders, Mad h av spoke to K um arUtt am about Cent re’ s recent peace overtures in the Valley. He said Kashmir and dialogue with Pakistan needed to be delinked. Excerpts from the interview:

The timing of the appointment of a special representative for Kashmir came as a surprise. What led to this decision?

There was a demand from various sections in Kashmir for talks with the state government and the Centre. Home minister( RajnathSingh) made a couple of visits to the Valley and several groups met him. It is difficult for a person of his stature to engage in any parley on a sustained basis. We decided to have someone (DineshwarSharma) whowillbe available for a sustained dialogue. So timing should not be a big question.

Is there a time frame for this dialogue?

The appointment order says it will be a sustained dialogue. It will go on for some time.

Will he (Sharma) talk to Hurriyat leaders as well?

has to happen in a very open manner, without any precondition. We have a multi- pronged approach to tackle Kashmir issue. The dialogue initiative is one of them.

What are the other options?

Militancy needs to be tackled withatoughhand. Publicprotest, such as stone pelting, is the second dimensionof Kashmirproblem, which has been strongly dealt with while ensuring there are no casualties. Third dimension includes business men, politicians, so-called NGO groups, who are overt support mechanism for the militants and anti- India activists. We adopted a legal mechanism to tackle them— through the N IA( National Investigation Agency) and other agencies. The four this development activities. Now we added this fifth dimension (of sustained dialogue).

Can action against relatives of separatist leaders and dialogue go together?

The NI A does not act on the basis ofrelationship. Itact son the basis of material evidence.

It is not a matter of consideration for the NIA to see who is relatedtowhom. Itisdoingitsjob as per the law. When you are in an agitation, you will face jail. But that should not prevent you from having a dialogue. I don’t think these two things should be mixed up.

The J&K chief minister suggested to the Centre to follow former PM Vajpayee’s line on Kashmir. Has anything changed between his time and now in the context of the government’s Kashmir policy?

This is all for the sake of argument. Vajpayee said we will engage and address the Kashmir issue under the purview of three broad principles- Jamhooriyat, Kashmiriyat and insaniyat. We, as the government, made efforts at that time.

Subsequently, the UPA came to the power and ruled for 10 years. They made their own efforts. Today we have another BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Each government adopts a particular way of tackling an issue. Isitdifferent? Don’twefollow insaniyat? Of course we do. So things continue at one level. We all follow the principles, whether it is the UP A or th eND A. But, each government can have a slightly different approach-- different way of handling the issue.

What is your response to former CM Farooq Abdullah, who said new dialogue process will not succeed until India talks to Pakistan as a part of the region belongs to the neighbouring country?

He has done so many somersaults in the last few years. His own party, the National Conference, in the beginning, had fought against the Kashmiri invaders. His father Sheikh Abdullah opposed Kashmiri invaders. Today if Farooq Abdul l ah thinks that those parts belong to Pakistan, at least that is not the view of the Indian parliament.

Is it time for resumption of dialogue with Pakistan?

I am not competent to talk about it. Kashmir issue and dialogue with Pakistan should be de linked, for the good of Kashmir. If we need to have a dialogue with Pakistan, there are several issues and the Centre will take an appropriate decision. As far as the present Kashmir issue is concerned, we believe— may be our partner has other ideas — it is purely a domestic one.

What kind of solution you envisage from the latest dialogue process?

Everybody has stakes in Kashmir’ s peace. If you have political demands, sky is the limit. But, you cannot have a gun in one hand and then say that I want this or that. That won’t be accepted.

What do you think about Rahul Gandhi’s evolution as a leader?

I don’t want to really demean or ridicule the opposition leader. Hispartyhasvery highhopes on him. India needs a good opposition party. The Congress in the last three years has not demonstrated any quality of a good strong opposition.

We have been running the country as though there is no opposition. At one level it is good. But there is no real fun (laughs). But I don’t see much happening for the Congress on the ground. You will see the results of two states (Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh). Havingsaidthat, Rahul has to grow. He has to rise as a powerful force in the country.

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India needs a strong opposition. The Congress in the last three years has not demonstrated any quality of a strong opposition. But I don’t see much happening for them on the ground.

RAM MADHAV, BJP national general secretary