Hon.
Chairperson, I would like to make it very clear that from East to West and from
North to South, India is one. We are discussing about the present
situation in Kashmir. I also belong to Kashmir and Kashmir belongs to me. Here,
I would like to reveal one secret. There is a product called saffron. The quality
of saffron produced in Kashmir is considered to be very good. In Tamil Nadu,
every pregnant lady is given saffron because they want a beautiful child. My
mother had it, my daughter-in-law had it, my granddaughter will also definitely
have it. So, I am proud to say that I belong to Kashmir. After seeing the
movies shot in Kashmir, I wanted to120
visit Kashmir. My wish was fulfilled when I was in the Public Service
Commission. I thank our Chief Minister because140 (1) I was able to visit Kashmir
only because of her. As a State guest, I visited many places and temples. I was
provided with very good food. I enjoyed it very much. I come from a place in
the Cauvery Basin, and I was under the wrong impression that my place was the
only fertile land in India. I changed my opinion after seeing the agricultural
land in Kashmir. The people of Kashmir are very nice.
I
can really quote the names of the hon. Members who come from Kashmir. They show
real concern for the development of Tamil Nadu.240
There is no doubt about it. The hon. Member from Kashmir who spoke before me is
familiar with each and every part of Tamil Nadu. He knows Tamil Nadu’s culture
and its social fabric. I take this opportunity to thank280 the Leader of the Opposition because he
had exhibited real concern for the people of Tamil Nadu when our Chief (2) Minister
was in certain trouble. In India, everybody feels that he belongs to every part
of India. We offer prayers in churches, in mosques, in temples. Prof. Ram Gopal
Yadav has rightly said that there are no differences amongst the people. The
problem lies somewhere else. We must find out as to where the problem lies, and
then, we should360 make our
best endeavours to remove that problem. That is the only solution.
Our
hon. Chief Minister is known for maintaining the integrity of India. The people
of Kashmir love Tamil Nadu very much. As an Advocate General, I had an
opportunity of being a host for more than fifteen judges and their families,
when they visited Chennai. They wanted420
to visit Marina Beach. They are fond of seeing the sea. I had arranged all the
tours. They felt very obliged. They are still in touch with me. From Chennai (3)
High Court also, the Chief Justice and a very senior Judge had visited Kashmir.
So, there is no difference between Tamil Nadu and Kashmir. The people of Tamil
Nadu pray480 for a beautiful
and peaceful Kashmir. That is also the wish of our hon. Chief Minister. I pray
to God for putting an end to terrorism in Kashmir. I thank everybody for having
given me this opportunity to speak here.
Mr.
Deputy Chairman, Sir, before I say even one word about the incidents which have
taken place in the last one month, or the discussions we have had, let me make
one message loud and clear, and that is not560
for anybody in this House. I must tell our friends in Pakistan that they should
not meddle in our internal affairs; they should not shed crocodile tears; they
should not pretend that they have love for the people of Kashmir;600 they should not give our country any
bogus lectures on (4) pluralism and democracy. Sir, my family knows
Pakistan and my family knows India. In 1947, my grandfather worked in Kolkata
and his younger brother worked close to Kolkata. So, the two brothers were in
Kolkata and one brother was in Lahore, and he chose to stay in Lahore. That is
one-third of the family in Pakistan and two-thirds of the family in India. Today,
in spite of all our differences, in spite of all the problems which we face
today, we are still the people of India. We700
can eat what we want, we can pray wherever we want to, we can walk the streets
freely, but our720 brothers in
Pakistan do not exist anymore. This is a fact, Sir. In the last two years,
there have been very serious issues. Sometimes, words cannot solve these
issues.
Sir,
I wanted to start with the history, and then come to the present, but I think,
I should start with (5) the present and then go backwards in time. So,
let me start with yesterday. In Trinamool Congress, when it comes to matters of
Foreign Policy, we have always been with the Government, in the sense we are
always with the country. This is not about winning any political points. Sir,
yesterday, it was said by the hon. Prime Minister that if those boys and girls
had books in their hands,840
or laptops in their hands, or cricket bats in their hands, it would have been
better than having stones. Sir, that Statement also concerns me, but my concern
is that even if those young boys and girls had laptops, or books, or cricket
bats, they would have still thrown them where they wanted to throw them. This
is a matter of concern. So, we need to understand this situation better. When
you are sitting in the Opposition, you want to play rambo; but it is another
thing when you come (6) here in the Government. When you come here in the
Government, you have to have peace and serenity in the Government.
Actually,
Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav has said about the960
history what I wanted to say. I will not go into the history, but I am
completely on the same980 page
as him, and I do not want to mention too many names here, because people get
touchy when you mention names. Sir, this is a human tragedy. This is a tragedy
of common people. Sir, who is a nationalist and who is a patriot? The
nationalist loves his country; the patriot loves the people of his country.
Interestingly, a few days ago, there was a speech in the Lok Sabha on behalf of
the Government, and I was intrigued to know whose voice it was, because his
views on Kashmir 25 years ago and today are different. Sir,1080 I need to bring this point out today
because this (7) gentleman believed that Sardar Patel also had some
views on Kashmir and even Shri Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was a stumbling block.
Sir, I welcome the person whom the BJP1120
chose to speak that day in Parliament. Today, it is the BJP and the NDA who are
taking a different look at Kashmir. The person who said all these words is a
friend of mine. So, I do not want to embarrass him and this is not the occasion
to embarrass anyone.
Sir,
if the BJP is looking at somebody like Mr. M. J. Akbar who wrote that book on
Kashmir, we want1200 to hear
voices like this, and the more we hear voices like this, the more we believe
that there will be a chance to solve this issue. It is another matter that when
this book was launched in 1992, there were many leaders in BJP (8) who
threatened to burn the book. Sir, let us move on1260 to the Home Ministry. There is a meeting to be held
this afternoon, and, for that meeting, we have been given some background
details from the Home Ministry. Now, the Home Ministry has given us the details
of the use of pellet guns and I am reading from that report. The report says
that in 2010, there were six deaths and 198 injuries and, in 2016, there were
three deaths and 78 injuries. Sir, we have to go beyond these statistics.
Otherwise, for the last 70 years, we have gone this way and that way. We need
to go beyond these statistics. We have to come out of this mentality because
unless we come out of this mentality, we will continue to suffer.
Sir,
I want to make one point about what1400
(9) has changed on the ground in Kashmir. In 2011, the Internet
penetration in Kashmir was three per cent. Today, the Internet penetration in
Kashmir is almost 25 per cent. Sir, that is a major change that has happened in
Kashmir. That is why the Hurriyat or any other group does not have control over
these people. The opinion is being made on the Internet. The hon. Home Minister
made a Tweet appealing to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to remain calm and
maintain peace. That is a good thing. The problem is that when this Tweet went
out, the Internet itself was blocked. So, it is a tough call. In fact, in
Kashmir, the Internet has been blocked about a dozen times. You are not going
to get young people on your side if you keep blocking the Internet. Sir,
Kashmir is non-negotiable, but the Kashmiri people and their welfare also have
to be non-negotiable. (10)
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