The great divide

8220;Autonomy means independence. It is an anti-national act and we condemn it,8221; declares Shri Kumar, the RSS chief of Jamp;K. He claimed that the demand for separate statehood for Jammu and union territory status for Ladakh was a reaction to the ruling NC8217;s autonomy demand. Kumar said his party would support all those fighting against autonomy. 8220;We have sacrificed so many precious lives, including our hero Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, to achieve integration with the country, we will not allow it to happen at any cost,8221; he said.

Though the restoration of autonomy seems a distant dream, the reactions generated on communal lines is likely to strengthen hardliner groups which are advocating the two nation theory. Ironically, the stand taken by the right-wing Hindu groups echoes that of their Muslim adversaries in the separatist camp.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader and chairperson of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, openly advocated division of the state if necessary, to reach a permanent settlement.

The BJP Vice president in Jamp;K, Chander Mohan Sharma, accused Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah of 8220;hobnobbing with foreign agencies to disintegrate the country8221;. He even claimed that Abdullah had sent a copy of the Autonomy Report to US officials before tabling it in the assembly. In a recent press briefing, he called the report a 8220;document of secession8221; and threatened that Jammuites would be forced to launch an agitation for trifurcation.

The autonomy debate is now so neck-deep in communalism that the ruling National Conference has started reacting in the same language. Conference leaders from the Muslim-dominated belts of Jammu and Kargil in Ladakh openly warn of further division of their regions on communal lines if the opposition demands trifurcation. 8220;We are against any division of the state and will fight to prevent it. But if the division is inevitable, we would rather be a part of Kashmir than Jammu,8221; said the NC legislator from Doda, Khalid Najeeb Suharwardy.

Another legislator from nearby Bhaderwah has similar views. 8220;The BJP is not the majority voice in Jammu. In fact Kanak Mandi a small, BJP-dominated area is not Jammu,8221; said Firdous Sayeed Baba. A pro-Pakistan militant commander-turned-legislator, Baba says any settlement on religious lines would be disastrous not only for the state but for the whole of the sub-continent. 8220;It8217;s like playing with fire. The events of 1947 will get re-enacted in every village,8221; he warned.

Things are no different in Ladakh. There were protests against the demand for autonomy in Buddhist dominated Leh, where the Ladakh Hill Development Council adopted a resolution calling for separation from Jamp;K and seeking union territory status to come under Delhi8217;s direct rule. The NC termed this move illegal and questioned the hill council8217;s jurisdiction. 8220;The so-called resolution has no legal standing. This hill council has only a developmental mandate,8221; said P L Handoo, State Law minister. 8220;If the Srinagar municipality passes a resolution tomorrow that Srinagar is a part of Pakistan, who will accept it?8221;

But the Executive Councillor and spokesperson of the LHDC, Rigzin Jora, said their resolution reflects the popular sentiment of Ladakhis. 8220;We8217;re sure that if the Jamp;K government gets autonomy and more powers, they will throw us away like the Kashmiri Pandits,8221; he said. But isn8217;t their move to have a separate union territory for the Buddhist-dominated area communally motivated? According to Jora, Farooq Abdullah himself initiated this sentiment by dividing the state into eight regions in his regional autonomy plan. The Ladakh Buddhist Association LBA is continuing its agitation for union territory Status despite the Centre8217;s rejection of autonomy. Jora explained: 8220;We know that sooner or later, the Centre has to resolve the problems in Kashmir. We are not against autonomy to the Kashmir Valley, but it should not be binding on us. Our aspirations should also be taken into consideration.8221;

The Junior Works minister and NC legislator representing Kargil, Qamar Ali Akhoon, claims that the demand for a union territory on communal lines was a Congress game plan. 8220;The LBA is nothing but a front for the Congress,8221; he said.

Pradesh Congress president, M S Qureshi, agrees that states deserve more powers but is uncomfortable with autonomy to Jamp;K. 8220;We are not for autonomy that results in total regimentation,8221; he said. His party8217;s position is to discuss matters only within the parameters of the Sheikh-Indira accord of 1975. 8220;If Farooq Abdullah wants to nullify that accord, let him openly say that his father was wrong and was taken in,8221; Qureshi said.

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