Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday subtly absolved ordinary Kashmiri Muslims from the tragic exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. He asserted that the common people had no role in “whatever happened in Kashmir” and termed the Valley as a symbol of harmony and co-existence.
Addressing an interfaith conference in Srinagar, Sinha said that the people of Kashmir have a better idea of India than any other citizen of the country and regretted that “some people have never recognised this and they don’t want to acknowledge it.”
Senior RSS leader, Indresh Kumar, was among those who attended the inter-faith conference in Srinagar.
In his speech, Sinha mentioned the name of a high court Judge- a Kashmiri Pandit – and said that he wants to remind such people that the common Kashmiris were not responsible for whatever happened in Kashmir.
“Today, the Constitution is the only religion of India. There are many people who have to keep this in mind. You may be a follower of any religion – Sanjay Dhar Sahib, may be a Kashmiri Pandit, but you have to work in accordance with the Constitution. I want to tell such people in particular that whatever has happened in Kashmir, the common man of Kashmir is not responsible for that,” he added.
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The Lt Governor asked the audience to acknowledge that “those who were supposed to protect the people have exploited the sentiments of people.”
Sinha, who has been serving as the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir for the last six years, said that the understanding of many people in the country is far from the ground realities of Kashmir.
“I believe common Kashmiri has better understanding of India than any other Indian citizen, but some people have never recognised this and they don’t want to acknowledge it. I think it’s for those people to understand this,” he added.
Referring to the participation of Jammu & Kashmir in the nationwide celebrations of 150 years of Vande Mataram, Sinha said that it was ranked number one in the three phases of celebrations among all the states and Union territories.
“In the first round, Jammu and Kashmir secured no one position, while as the country’s most populous state, UP was number 2. In the second round, J&K was number one and Madhya Pradesh was number 2. And in the third round, J&K once again stood at number one, and Rajasthan was number 2,” he said.
He said that among the 10 best-performing districts of the country, seven are from Jammu and Kashmir.
Quoting the Rig Veda, Sinha talked about “Justam” and “Devebhut” (harmony and the divine light present in all human beings).
“If one wants to see a glimpse of the philosophy, it can be seen in Jammu and Kashmir. For centuries, the region has remained home to almost all major religions,” he added.
