Kashmiris’ fears must be allayed: Bhagwat

NEWDELHI: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said the fear of losing land and jobs among people of Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 provisions should be allayed and asserted that putting an end to the region’s special status will help integrate Kashmiris with rest of the country.

According to people with knowledge of the matter, while interacting with journalists representing foreign media, he claimed that Kashmiris were earlier “alienated”, but the repeal of the provisions of Article 370 will remove the barriers that existed between them and the rest of the nation.

The RSS, in a statement, said, “This interaction was part of the continuous process where the ‘Sarsanghchalak’ (chief) engages in constructive dialogue with people from different walks of the society.”

About apprehensions of Kashmiris that the move on Article 370 will lead to “outsiders” buying their land, Bhagwat is learnt to have said, “Whatever fears they have about losing land and jobs should be allayed.”

On the issue of National Register of Citizens in Assam, he said it’s not about expelling people but about identifying the citizens.

“There is no place for Hindus in the world except India,” people quoted him as saying.

To a question about economy which has seen a slowdown, Bhagwat said that there was “no policy paralysis” since Narendra Modi became prime minister but added that the RSS is not an expert on the issue, people said.