Don’t subject Kashmiris to daily patriotism test, says Ram Madhav

JAIPUR: Ordinary Kashmiris should not be subjected to a daily test of patriotism as there are millions of silent supporters in the Valley who would proudly carry the Indian flag if given a chance, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Ram Madhav said on Tuesday.

Delivering the Deen Dayal Upadhyay memorial lecture in Jaipur, titled ‘Akhand Bharat ki Avdharna Evam Kashmir’ (The concept of united India and Kashmir), Madhav, who is the party’s Jammu and Kashmir in-charge, said one should not make the mistake of thinking that everyone in Kashmir is pro-pakistan or antiindia.

“There are some who are propakistan due to allurements. We will deal with them firmly. But the ordinary Kashmiri is like any other Indian citizen. There are lakhs of silent supporters who will proudly stand with the Indian flag. So don’t subject them to patriotism tests to prove that they are Indians,” he said.

Madhav said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir need to be given rights, development and good governance, and the BJP government is committed to providing that. To that end, panchayat elections are being held in the state and each panchayat would be given ₹20 lakh for development work, he said.

He said the government is taking a multi-pronged approach on Kashmir -- efforts are underway to resettle Kashmiri Pandits in the state, temples are being restored, and strong measures are being adopted against terrorism. “We will not cede an inch of land from Kashmir. We will fight terrorism for 50 years, if we have to,” he said.

“All our schemes in the last four years are such that let people live with self-respect. They are not divisive schemes,” he said.