Readers’ Comments: ‘Where were you when Kashmiri Pandits were expelled from their homes?’

Whataboutery

Shame on you for being Hindus and listening to the lies told by a Muslim woman, urging you to support her brethren in Kashmir (Watch: Kashmiri woman berates the rest of India for not standing with Jammu & Kashmir). Did no one among you have a spine to ask why they are suffering. They want a separate Muslim state and she is fooling you by saying there is a lot of oppression. Just visit Kashmir and you will see a mosque after every 50 feet. You will also see remains of desecrated Hindu temples. I was pained to see people applauding her. It recreated the wounds of the suffering of my Kashmiri Pandit community at the hands of her community. They killed, raped, and terrorised us. They banished us from the Valley and you side with her. We sacrificed everything but retained our religion, honour and patriotism. Bharat mata ki jai. ‒ Dilip Kaul

***

As a nationalist and aboriginal Kashmiri, I am quite happy with the Narendra Modi government’s August 5 decision. These people, whom you often represent in your articles, are actually driven by an Islamic mindset. They have been radicalised to the extent that they have altogether done away with pluralism and mutual co-existence. They’ve driven us out of our homes. They have committed mass killings to make my Kashmir an Islamic Kashmir. And media houses like Scroll.in are propagating their dirty agenda. I fail to understand why. I feel that India got overwhelmed by foreign invaders in the past because of people like you. You are modern-day Jaichands and the common man sees through your nefarious designs. You will be defeated. You will be decimated. ‒ Shashi Bushan Bhat

***

Apparently, these people are illiterate and don’t really under the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens. It is a pity. The Act is meant to grant citizenship to minority communities from neighbouring countries and Indians have nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, the terms for the NRC are not even introduced in Parliament, so where is the question of showing documents? With regard to Article 370, it was a temporary provision and that was clearly mentioned in the law. With its removal, Kashmiris are now getting equal rights in jobs, electricity and free medical facilities. The pace of development is picking up. These Kashmiris didn’t do anything when thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were raped, killed and thrown out. Thousands of military personnel are stoned by militants, but nobody talks about their human rights. One has to use an iron hand to eliminate terrorists to achieve peace. It will take time, but rest assured, Kashmiris are peace-loving and sensible, and better days are on the way. ‒ Parimal Shah

***

Why is no one is crying for Kashmiri Pandits? Where were the media, government, NGOs and human rights activists when they were exiled? As of now, no one been asked to leave Kashmir or faced any cruelty. ‒ Flyant Vega

***

Where was this woman when lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits were butchered, raped, converted and thrown out of their homes? As the media, why did you not give the same coverage to the outcries of Kashmiri Pandits for three decades? No wonder you are being called “paid media.” ‒ S Krishna Kumar

***

Where was this woman when Kashmiris were throwing stones on Army personnel? and where was she when Kashmiri Pandits were expelled from their own homes? Why did she not protest at that time? ‒ Ashwin Somani

***

When five lakh Kashmiris pandits were forced to leave their homes, where was this woman? Why she did not protest? ‒ NK Sharma

***

Miscellaneous Comments

The current state of the economy is a result of the wrong policies by Congress over the past 60 years (Modi government doesn’t acknowledge the word ‘slowdown’, so can’t expect solutions: Manmohan Singh). We are nowhere – neither socialist, nor capitalist. Even today, we are trying to run on these two boats. With rampant corruption among Indian Administrative Service officers, police personnel and politicians, there is no hope for us. Montek Singh Ahluwalia was corrupt and Manmohan Singh was morally corrupt.They both did nothing to fundamentally change India, and are not making comments. At least Modi is honestly trying. It will take time as Indians are, by nature, dishonest, characterless and lazy people. We need a strong leader to awaken us. ‒ Manoj Kumar

***

It is time that all the parties give strict guidelines to prevent inflammatory remarks in an already volatile situation (‘Constitution in hand, Waris Pathan in heart’: BJP on ‘liberals’ after AIMIM leader’s remarks). One should understand that it is easy to kindle the spark but difficult to contain the conflagration. Such comments, in fact, deprive the very support or sympathy garnered for the respective cause, be it for or against a move such as Citizenship Amendment Act. The fact that there have been voices from all walks of life – writers, intellectuals, Nobel laureates – stands defeated by such comments.

It is better to understand that the public is wise, despite unwarranted comments aired often by different people. This is reasonably reflected in the outcome of the Delhi elections, where people looked at the way they are taken care of rather than focussing on emotional appeals. It is needless to say that the nation is passing through a crucial juncture, saddled by a sluggish economy and several pressing issues. It is time to focus on steering the nation on to a befitting trajectory and not let it disintegrate further. ‒ Ramana Gove

***

The recent high-profile visit of the US President Donald Trump and a trade deal is welcome (Donald Trump visits Taj Mahal, says it depicts diversity of India’s culture). However, such an extravagant show affecting the normal life of the common man, amidst high-value spending, was unnecessary. The customary visit to Sabarmati Ashram by every visiting dignitary is also welcome. India and United States should now focus on strengthening ties, especially through trade. India must emphasise the need to resolve the issue of H-1B visa cap on skilled professionals, which hampers the prospects of talented Indians. The countries should work together on energy and defence issues. Otherwise, a new US Consulate General office in Bengaluru is highly necessary. ‒ Varun Dambal

***

During the T-20 World Cup match on February 21, Harmanpreet Kaur’s determination shone through. With a modest 132 to defend, she was a bundle of nerves during what was Australia’s match to lose (T20 World Cup: How Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav scripted India’s scintillating win against Australia). The Australians were shell-shocked by their sheer tenacity. Shafali Verma, a prodigious 16-year-old, set the stands in Sydney on fire with free stroking abandon, a spectacle usually associated with the Pants and Pandyas. The women’s game has come along fine and there is exciting talent in Jemimah Rodrigues, Poonam Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy and the rest. Exciting times going forward. Girl power is surely making a statement in the post-Mithali Raj era. ‒ Kiran Bagade