Hurriyat authorises Puri seer for talks with Centre

The young Shankaracharya said the Hurriyat leadership told him they were willing to talk to the Centre. “So if the Union Government is ready to resolve the Kashmir problem, then they should hold talks with the Hurriyat without any condition,” he said at a press conference here today.

“Right now we are still meeting people, we have had parleys with the Hurriyat leadership, especially Syed Ali Shah Geelani. More will be made public about what kind of role Swamiji Maharaj will be playing to end the bloodshed,” Delhvi said, often punctuating the Acharya’s statements with clarifications in chaste Urdu.

He clarified that it was Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone who had requested the Shankaracharya to help prevent killings by using his enormous religious clout. Later, Lone had a two-hour-long closed door meeting with the Acharya and his associates at a city hotel in the afternoon, sources said.

Delhvi said the Acharya had asked his confidant Pandit N K Sharma to be in touch with Hurriyat for an assessment of custodial killings and other rights violations. “Panditji will be in touch with Hurriyat for all issues on behalf of the Acharyaji”.

The Shankaracharya said he was thirsting to visit Kashmir due to routine reports of bloodshed appearing in the media. “Reports of bloodshed prompted me to come here. But I first decided to send N K Sharma (who is also accompanying him) to Kashmir and assess what was going on,” he said.

He said during his three-day-long visit, he had met various secessionist leaders and representatives of the dislodged Kashmiri Pandits.“Now, I do not need to talk to anybody else, I have seen and experienced the real situation,” he said.

Is Kashmir a political or religious issue? “Political, but some people are exploiting its religious dimensions including the Hindutva elements,” the Swami shot back.

The visibly angry seer was extremely critical of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). He said it had a history of violence and turmoil. “Since the last 50 years, the RSS has been engaging in communal frenzy and violence in the country. It was also committing atrocities against Christians,” he said in a high pitch.

“We worship the cow. But I have seen even she being fired upon and killed. We have met orphans, widows and even seen the plight of trees which have been set ablaze,” the Acharya said, referring to his Hajibal, Tangmrag visit.

Warning the `Hindutva’ elements to desist from carrying out violence in the country, the visibly fuming Acharya said he will expose them not only in India but in the whole world. He revealed the details of constituting a World United Religious Organisation to address violence in the name of religion more appropriately.

Pledging to end the strife in the Valley, he said he will continue his Kashmir mission unless the issue is resolved.