Now, deal sternly with anti-national elements
It is unfortunate that many people lost their lives in the violence that erupted during the lok Sabha by-elections in Kashmir valley on Sunday, and that Srinagar constituency recorded a two-decade low of just over seven per cent polling. The blame for the sad state of affairs lies squarely with the separatists who had called for a boycott of the elections and the violent protesters who attacked polling booths and pelted stones. It's understandable that the voters, in the wake of this unrest, preferred to stay indoors than risk their lives, even though they must have wanted to exercise their franchise in a democratic way. It is clear that neither the separatists nor the disrupters of the election process are interested in democratic functioning, nor do they believe in the prosperity of the valley. Their secessionist agenda, and the now less hidden goal of Islamist hegemony, is evident to all. Both the Centre and the State Government of Mehbooba Mufti have to take the bull by the horns. There is no point in hoping for sense from these elements. The more they are dealt softly with, the more they get emboldened. A crackdown not seen before must be initiated. The separatists must be made accountable and the various state benefits they enjoy should be withdrawn. While the Army has already decided to deal sternly with stone-pelters, it too cannot retaliate to an extent that endangers the lives of innocent civilians. The sadder part is that mainstream valley politicians, such as National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, have been contributing to the unrest by their misplaced remarks. Only recently, Abdullah had justified stone-pelting incidents as being for a ‘national cause'. For him to now lament that the violence happened because the Government had failed to create a peaceful environment for elections, is farcical. Statements from people like him are also responsible for the crisis. He must ask himself as to what contribution he made, as a senior political leader in the valley, to ensure that the right atmosphere was created for the elections to be held. The National Conference leader must understand that every Indian, including him, is a loser as a result of such disruption.
The scale of violence was such that it could not have been spontaneous. There was clear planning to disrupt the democratic process and simultaneously to discredit it as well. More than 200 incidents of stone-pelting and hurling of petrol bombs at polling booths were reported. Electronic voting machines had been targeted. More than a hundred security personnel suffered injuries, some serious. The protesters were ready with their insidious agenda from the wee hours of the polling day; even as officials on election duty reached polling stations, they faced resistance and violence. EVMs were snatched from them and then set on fire. Given that this magnitude of electoral violence had not been witnessed in the valley since 1989, it is evident that a grand design to ‘go for the kill' is being worked out by anti-India elements both within the country and outside. The separatists are gloating, just as their handlers in Pakistan are celebrating. India cannot allow this tamasha to go on. Frequent unrest and shutdowns in the valley have sapped every right-thinking Indian’s patience.