BJP used our exodus issue to gain Hindu votes: Kashmiri Pandits hit out

Panun Kashmir on Monday accused the BJP leadership of using the issue of exodus of Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits) from the state to blame their opponents and gain Hindu votes across India.

The organisation, which advocates for rights of Kashmiri Pandits, claimed that the BJP-led Centre has neglected the displaced community in the past 10 years.

It added that despite the neutralisation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, the BJP government has shown indifference and bias towards Kashmiri Pandits.

"The BJP leadership has used Kashmiri Hindu religious cleansing to blame its opponents and to garner Hindu votes in the rest of India," Panun Kashmir chairman Ajay Chrungoo told the media in Jammu. He also accused the party of treating "Kashmiri Pandits as second class citizens".

He emphasised that the community members are not aligned with any political party and will pursue their freedom independently. "Everybody should know that our community members are not stooges of any political party and will pursue their political freedom and choice as they wish. Like the Congress, the BJP has failed both Kashmiri Pandits and the nation in Jammu and Kashmir," Chrungoo said.

He further said as terrorist and separatist forces gain strength in Kashmir and Jammu, it is crucial for the government to stand with the people and protect their rights.

Panun Kashmir vowed to continue their struggle until a separate Union Territory is established for the permanent rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus.

Chrungoo slammed the BJP government for its alleged bias and disrespect towards the community's issues. "The BJP's hostile political and ideological stance against Nehruvian policies seems to have translated into anti-Kashmiri Pandit bias among the party's top leadership over the years," Chrungoo said.

He said the party has failed to do anything for the community and instead "treats the issues of the community with disdain, absolute disrespect and dismissiveness". He also condemned the government for failing to increase sustenance allowances for Kashmir Pandits over the past decade, despite the rising cost of living.

"A small fraction of the displaced population from Kashmir receives cash relief, contrary to the political perception created by the BJP across India. They have not seen even a cosmetic increase during BJP rule in New Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir despite steep price rise during this period on almost all items of day to day survival," the chairman said.

He added that this population segment constitutes a very small fraction of the total population of displaced people from Kashmir. "An overwhelming majority of the internally displaced community have never received any cash relief contrary to political perceptions created by BJP in the rest of India," he said.

Chrungoo further accused the BJP government of overlooking crimes against Kashmiri Pandits and failing to address their security concerns adequately. He alleged that the BJP committed a grave crime against humanity by denying that the community suffered a genocide.