BJP divided J&K for cronies, used brute majority to rob its people: PDP

Srinagar, Dec 14 (PTI) The BJP divided the land and resources of Jammu and Kashmir for the benefit of its “cronies” and used brute majority in Parliament to pass laws that disempower the region’s people, the Peoples Democratic Party said in its periodical.

“Other than dividing up our land and resources for their cronies and using their brute majority in the Parliament to airdrop laws to disempower our people, what has BJP done for us?” the PDP asked in its monthly newsletter SPEAK UP.

The PDP said Kashmir is grieving after the verdict of the Supreme Court on abrogation of Article 370.

Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement in the Parliament on “blunders” of Jawaharlal Nehru’s handling of Kashmir, the party said Kashmir had acceded to India because of the country’s first prime minister.

“On a bright sunny day in New Delhi, HM Amit Shah found himself mourning the loss of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Instead of ruminating over Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘blunders,’ the BJP needs to ask themselves what they have done for Indian Kashmir since they came to power in 2014.

“Perhaps, they regret losing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir because they couldn’t treat it like the spoils of war. A quick lesson in history would tell them that it is because of Jawaharlal Nehru that Kashmir acceded to India,” the party said in the English language periodical.

The party quoted Arab poet Ansar Yawar to indicate that it did not have much hope from the BJP government at the Centre.

“Expecting a solution from those who created the web is like a bug asking the spider for its freedom, not realizing the purpose of the web,” it added.

The PDP also alleged that the extraction of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir will result in damage to ecology of the regions without any economic benefits for the locals.

“As Indian companies gear up to bid for the treasure trove of Kashmir’s Lithium mines, a feeling of doom has gripped the region. If mining contracts are given to outsiders, limitless mining will inevitably damage the ecology and economy, but not before displacing local populations.

“The extraction of Lithium not only contaminates fresh water sources, but its harmful toxins also leach into fertile lands, making them unsuitable for agriculture. And after causing all this damage, the economic benefits will go to outsiders,” the party said.