Atal had almost resolved Kashmir issue: Bhagwat
The Kashmir issue was on the verge of resolution under the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said here but lamented that the later governments did not follow up on Vajpayee’s efforts.
“Kashimiri people do not want to live with Pakistan. We should develop nationalistic feelings among the people in Kashmir,” the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader said on the unrest in the Valley while addressing an event on Sunday. Bhagwat recalled how Vajpayee “had almost solved the Kashmir issue but later governments did not follow up on Vajpayee's efforts”.
Addressing about 2,000 young couples in the city, the RSS chief answered a volley of questions from his audience on Kashmir issue, cow protection, missionary schools, uniform civil code among others. On the issue of cow vigilantism, he said cow protection work should be done within the legal framework. The RSS chief batted for strong value systems, especially among the younger generations.
“Western influences are affecting society. We have to move ahead following the guidelines and codes given to us by our ancestors. If the nation has to move ahead confidently, we will need to teach ‘sanskar’ (values) to our young ones. Young couples have to imbibe these values. Our identity should be from the country,” he said.
Invoking Shivaji, he said the Maratha warrior king derived strength and inspiration from his family that stood for values. “Civilisations change with times but cultures do not. It is the responsibility of the family to inculcate values in children who must learn how to live for others,” he added. Bhagwat is in the city for a fourday visit to interact with groups representing various social strata and professions. Meanwhile in Jammu, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the people, who are vitiating the environment and creating unrest in the region, are not Kashmiris.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir know what ‘azadi’ is. These few people want to vitiate the environment of peace because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government is doing good work,” she said.
“If you want to protest then why small children are taken and police stations are getting attacked. These people create sentiments amongst the mob and then run away,” she added.
Mehbooba also welcomed the opposition parties’ move to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed hope that something positive comes out of it. “It is a good step. We live in a democracy. If the opposition parties think that a solution can be reached by meeting the Prime Minister and the President then it is good,” she said.