Saifuddin Soz criticises Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that people must take measures to integrate J&K with India

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Prof. Saifuddin Soz has criticised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that after abrogation of Article 370 and 35A of the Constitution, it was now the duty of people outside Kashmir to take measures to integrate the region with India

“The RSS chief has asserted that a large section of Kashmiris want independence from India. Speaking to RSS Workers at Nagpur recently, he exhorted people that after abrogating Article 370 and 35A of the Constitution, it was now their duty to take measures to integrate Kashmir with India. He, however, declared that there is a large section of people in J&K, particularly Kashmir, who feel independence from India is more desirable. So, he (Bhagwat) exhorts people to put in efforts to integrate them (Kashmiris) with the rest of the country, just like all parts of the body are integrated with each other,” Soz said in a press statement.

“Bhagwat does not feel the necessity of talking to the people of Kashmir at all, as he thinks that they (people of Kashmir) raise ‘Technical Questions’. The people of Kashmir must now wait to see what measures RSS proposes for integration of Kashmir with India. Bhagwat has not left anybody in doubt that it is the RSS that has to propose to the Govt. of India on what more needs to be done after abrogation of the Article 370 and 35A of the Constitution of India,” he said.

“The statement of Shri Bhagwat also carries a signal that the Govt. of India has to follow what the RSS has to propose. Since Bhagwat is not bothered about accuracy of historical events, he exhorts people to return who were forced to leave Kashmir during Sheikh Abdullah’s time. Maybe he doesn’t know that he had passed away on September 8, 1982,” Soz added.