Valley kids nationalists, motivated in the wrong direction, says Rajnath
NEWDELHI: The children of Jammu and Kashmir are nationalists, but they are sometimes being motivated in the wrong direction, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday.
The comments come days after Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said girls and boys, as young as 10 and 12, were being radicalised in Kashmir, adding that it was a matter of concern.
“The kids of Jammu Kashmir are nationalists. They shouldn’t be seen in any other way,” Singh, who is visiting the NCC Republic Day Camp in Delhi, said when asked about his opinion on kids in the state who are being motivated to join the National Cadet Corps.
“Youngsters are youngsters only. Sometimes, the way they should be motivated, people do not motivate them. In fact, they are motivated in the wrong direction.
“That is why the kids should not be blamed for this. The ones who are wrongly motivating them should be blamed. The ones who are motivating them in wrong direction are the culprits,” the defence minister added.
Singh’s comments came days after Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat advocated the need to start deradicalisation programmes for the youth in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We should start counter-radicalisation programmes while identifying who are the people to have been radicalised and to what degree. Then look at them who are completely radicalised and then look towards the future. What we are seeing in Kashmir, young boys and girls as young as 10 years old have been radicalised, but they can still be isolated from radicalisation in a gradual manner,” General Rawat had said at the Raisina Dialogue 2020 last week.
General Rawat’s comments were echoed by J&K DGP Dilbag Singh, who said that such camps could help the youth in the region
Asked about people living on India-china border areas complaining that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troubles them, Singh asked the people not to be worry and trust the armed forces.
“Don’t worry. As far as our borders are concerned, place your trust in the armed forces of our country. No country has the courage to raise their eyes towards India,” he said.