Parties betrayed us, say Kashmir Pandits

The decision of BJP legislators to oppose the Temple and Shrines Bill, when presented for passage in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly last month, has put Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community in a fix in the Lok Sabha elections, as they feel betrayed by every political party in the state.

“We are in a fix on whom to vote. I have been receiving calls from hundreds of KPs who ask me what should be our policy but I have no answer,” Kundan Kashmiri president of Kashmir Pandit Conference (KPC) told Deccan Herald.

He said National Conference (NC) and Congress always exploited KPs and played with their sentiments. “Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is extension counter of separatists in Kashmir. Only party which we trusted all these years was BJP, but they too sided with other politician parties to muzzle Kashmiri Pandits more,” he said.

The Kashmir Hindu Shrines bill for management protection, administration and governance of Hindu shrines and religious places in the state by J&K government was referred to the joint select committee after it saw stiff opposition from BJP, Panthers Party and even ruling Congress members when it was presented for passage in the Assembly in March.

“The stand of BJP (on the bill) has disgusted KPs. We sacrificed our homeland for the nation and never bowed before the diktats of anti-national and pro-Pak elements in Kashmir. KP community got scattered all over the country after forced migration in 1990. All political parties, be it separatists or mainstreams have ganged up against us,” Kashmiri alleged.

Sanjay Pandita, a local journalist said that the major reason for KPs to stay away from elections is they feel they have no representation in the state government.