STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Taking a dig at certain political leaders, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said here on Sunday that those who were responsible for the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), are now shedding crocodile tears and demanding an enquiry into the genocide and killings of Kashmir Pandits.
He said, it is hilarious to see that after the release of “The Kashmir Files”, some of the leaders who were an essential part of the ruling dispensation over the last 20 years, but are today either out of power or have defected to other political parties, now ask for instituting an enquiry without explaining as to why when they were at the helm of affairs for over three decades, even the daylight killers of Tika Lal Taploo, Lassa Kaul or Sqd Leader Khanna went scot free.
Speaking as Chief Guest at a programme organised by Vishwa Kashmiri Samaj, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it is a matter of vindication for BJP that some leaders of the then ruling parties are today speaking the same language which the BJP spoke even 25 years ago, but at that time these same leaders accused BJP of indulging in so called divisive politics.
He said, history bears testimony that the then ruling political parties and their leaders benefitted from Kashmiri Pandit exodus and the overwhelming atmosphere of terror that followed because it facilitated their continuance in power.
Dr Jitendra said, he and several other youth activists of his generation were eye-witness to each sequence of exodus beginning from the arrival of first batches of Kashmiri Pandits at Geeta Bhawan Jammu and makeshift Camps at Mishriwala and Nagrota, where they lived in most unhygienic conditions with the drains passing through the kitchen area and hardly any toilet facility available.
It was pathetic to see upper middle class Kashmiri Pandit families forced to live in a makeshift single room shed without any basic amenities.
Dr Jitendra said, he vividly recalls the summer of 1990 which was most harsh for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits who had never the seen the summer of plains, as a result of which there were a series of Heat Stroke cases happening, and as as a young medico, he and his colleagues would physically lift heat struck Kashmiri Pandits and place them on ice-slabs.
On the occasion, the Union Minister also felicitated winners of a ‘letter writing competition for KP Children who never lived in Kashmir’ organised by Global Solace (NGO) Jammu with Vishwa Kashmiri Samaj and other partners sometime back.
The theme of competition was, ‘My Kashmir, My Roots: My Dream, Sweet Home’. He also released the Calendar, Book and Panchang (almanac) prepared by Puneet Jotshi.
The event was also addressed by Chander Mohan, Mayor, Jammu and Raj Nehru, Vice Chancellor, Vishwakarma Skill University, Haryana.
Among those felicitated on the occasion included community hotelier Ramesh Kumar Kichloo, Shali Rupali , Vanshikha Bhat and Sagar Koul.
Vote of thanks was presented by Kanwal Peshin, Founder, Athrott Group.