PM, ministers and Governor let down India and Indians

The tragedy of the Pulwama suicide bomb attack has not been restricted to just the lost lives of our jawans and the terrible predicament of their families. Even as the BJP sought to politicise the issue to reap electoral dividends in an election year, mob violence and vigilante attacks targeting Kashmiri students, traders, doctors and other professionals have been reported from across the country. Non-Kashmiri liberal Indians have also been targeted in a massive way. In West Bengal and elsewhere, many women have been given rape and murder threats for voicing anti-war opinions on social media. Anti-war marches have been targeted. Some people have even lost their jobs as vigilante groups have mounted pressure on their employers.

Criticising the government is being equated with anti-national activities. Students are being expelled from educational institutions. More than 150 Kashmiri students in Dehra Dun alone have had to leave the city for the Valley. A few colleges have declared that they wouldn’t admit students from Kashmir. Hotels have put up notices to declare that Kashmiris are not welcome. A strong country stands united in its hour of crisis. India has faced major terror attacks in the past as well. But never has the nation looked so fragmented and so polarised in a time of trial and tribulation. The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and none of their senior Cabinet colleagues have uttered a word denouncing this targeted violence unleashed by groups allegedly aligned with the Sangh Parivar adds to this climate of insecurity.

The Governor of a state, a constitutional authority, has gone to the extent of calling for an economic boycott of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is unprecedented. Even after 24 hours of the Meghalaya Governor’s infamous tweet, the Rashtrapati Bhavan is yet to comment on the issue. The President and the governors are supposed to rise above petty party politics but it does not seem to be the case any longer. Is this how a government deals with a crisis like this? How does the Centre expect Kashmiris to feel they are part of India if their security and constitutional rights are not protected? This is the time for a government to stand with its citizens and provide them the assurance that their rights as Indians will be protected. It is time to show that it cares for its citizens. What is a country without its people?

The BJP-RSS must realise that India is not just the landmass. It is the rich tapestry of people from Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, from the Rann of Kutch in the west to the far-flung states in the Northeast. The strength of India is in the unity of its people. Dividing people may yield short-term political dividends but it will weaken our nation. And that no well-meaning government should tolerate and condone.