‘The proposal to bring Jammu under the Disturbed Areas Act was Farooq’s’

Chaman Lal Gupta represents Doda-Udhampur — the current trouble spot in J&K — in the Lok Sabha. For past several months, militants have chosen this landlocked and sparsely populated hilly region of Jammu for creating mayhem. Gupta, union minister of state for civil aviation, had been critical of Farooq Abdullah government for its failures on fighting insurgency. He isn’t convinced that the recent declaration of Jammu as a Disturbed Area would reduce insurgency there. According to him, the extension of the controversial Act to Jammu was due to the demand of Farooq and indicates the failure of the J&K government in handling insurgency. Excerpts from Gupta’s interview to Aasha Khosa:

How bad is the situation in Doda?
It is grim. After the failure of Agra summit and more importantly with General Musharraf equating terrorism with jehad and freedom fighting we had fears that violence would escalate in Doda, where the presence of security forces is thin. Militants move about in the hills, at three peaks they are in large numbers. Now the more worrisome development is the militants massive recruitment drive in which they are specifically targetting very young school children. It’s time for politicians to keep tabs on the situation and interact with the people to prevent militants from weaning away the youth.

Governments in Delhi and Srinagar have decided to fight the situation by extending the Disturbed Areas Act to these regions. Will it help?
Situation in Doda and Jammu cannot be fought with legal provisions. The fight has to be on the ground and it’s too real and too serious. Mercenaries from all over Muslim countries have been converging in Jammu and Kashmir and by now everyone should be clear about their agenda. As they did in Kashmir they have been desperately targetting Doda in the hope that they will be able to drive all Hindus out. Their game plan however failed as people of the region have shown tremendous resistance. They came forward and voulnteered for Village Defence Committees (VDC) and have been sustaining a public campaign against militants. We also need to isolate militants moles within the administration.

National Conference says the Disturbed area Act was extended to Jammu on the demand of the BJP’s state unit and the Centre?
The proposal for bringing Jammu under the provisions of the Disturbed Areas Act was Farooq Abdullah’s and not the BJP’s or Centre’s. Although the BJP had demanded such a step, we never insisted on it after the elected government came into being in J&K.

In fact, saving the life and property of people is the responsibility of the elected government and by giving more powers to the forces to do the same Farooq is trying to absolve himself of his primary responsibility.

Are you against declaring Jammu disturbed?
No, I am not against it. But I want to put it on record that the BJP had never insisted on it. As I see it, it was Farooq’s decision. Even before landing in Delhi (for meeting with prime minister and home minister) he had announced it in Jammu. I hope it gives us good results but again I am saying that the ground realities can not be combatted with mere passing of orders. You need to do something more concrete.

But Abdullah must have spoken to New Delhi first.
I don’t know what was conspiring between the Centre and Farooq. Unlike him the BJP does not have piecemeal approach to insurgency. Our concern is that the life and property of people should be safe.

But surely the Disturbed Areas Act will have some impact on the ground.
It can boost the morale of the forces to fight insurgents. Earlier their initiatives were sometimes dampened by the fears that any mistake would land them into trouble.

Farooq Abdullah has asserted that the Centre is ready to discuss autonomy proposals with him. It would ignite the fight between BJP and National Conference in the state?
Farooq Abdullah has taken refuge in the autonomy issue to hide the inadequacies of his administration. J&K’s present problems have nothing to do with autonomy or lack of it.

Is Abdullah going to fight the foreign mercenaries with guns with autonomy. It’s time Farooq should realise that his government could not get more than 8 per cent turnover of voters for the panchayat elections. Then it is a fact that vast sections of people don’t want autonomy — Kashmiri Hindus, Jammuites, Ladakhis, Shias, Gujjars, Paharis — are openly against autonomy.

Four lakh Kashmiris have been dislodged from their homes and their rehablitation should be the issue with Abdullah. He must worry about helping families of those whose kith and kin were killed in the violence in Kashmir.