Naya Kashmir Finds Little Space For Sheikh Abdullah, The Tallest Kashmiri Leader Who Joined India, Took Up Tiranga

Nearly 70 years later, in changed Kashmir, not only is a tunnel at Nashri-Chenani along Srinagar-Jammu National Highway 바카라�solo land route connecting J&K with rest of India바카라� named after Mookerjee, but the BJP is also running the show in the region. Mookerjee has been hailed as the 바카라�ideological fountain head바카라� of the BJP.

In the  post-August 5, 2019 'changed Kashmir', winds of change have swept the region. On August 5, the Jammu and Kashmir바카라�s special status was scrapped as Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated and the state was divided and downgraded into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.

In one such change, Sher-i-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry and Sher-i-Kashmir Police Medal for Meritorious Service have been changed to 바카라�Jammu and Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry바카라� and 바카라�Jammu and Kashmir Police Medal for Meritorious Service바카라�. Moreover, the holiday on Abdullah바카라�s birth anniversary on 5th December was done away with. Moreover, 13th July was earlier commemorated as Martyrs Day in erstwhile state. It was also was deleted from the government calendar. All these things and events were associated with SM Abdullah.

How Kashmir sees tinkering with Sheikh Abdullah's name

Tinkering with Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah바카라�s name assumes significance, since the name is synonymous with India in Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah is considered the one who put Kashmir on India바카라�s lap. Many of the separatist ideology view him as a 바카라�traitor바카라� for this decision since he could have chosen also to go with Pakistan. He is often ridiculed by a section in Kashmir for his decision to choose India, which often is heartbreaking for his admirers who always argue that his decision was in best interest for the people of J&K.

In a war of arguments and counterarguments, Sheikh Abdullah바카라�s name is engraved and enshrined in Kashmir바카라�s history. However, tinkering with his name post 5 August 2019 has been a humiliation for Kashmir바카라�s mainstream political parties, who see it as denigration of the people who have held Tricolour in Kashmir against all odds 바카라� braving bombs and bullets and shells and rockets.

For a young leader from Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), constant denigration of 바카라�Sheikh Sahib and his legacy바카라� in Kashmir, whether it be taking down the holiday of 5th December or be it removing his name from police gallantry award, 바카라�is actually the effort on part of the BJP to denigrate the indigenous Kashmiri nationalism and its espousal that it was started by Sher-e-Kashmir SM Mohammad sahib바카라�. 

The NC youth leader says Sheikh Abdullah was somebody who discovered the 바카라�soul of Kashmir바카라�. 

바카라�Sheikh Sahib discovered Kashmiri nationalism in its purest form and espoused it politically. He espoused it culturally. He espoused it  intellectually,바카라� says the leader.

A second NC leader said Sheikh Abdullah fought a 바카라�very long arduous바카라� battle for it and brought the 바카라�soul of Kashmir바카라� on the international political platform.

So, what does the NC leader feel the problem of BJP is with Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah?

The second leader says, 바카라�It is in their interest to wipe off the indigenous Kashmiri identity. And the first campaigner of that identity, the first writer of that identity was of course Sheikh Sahib. Sheikh Sahib is no longer there but Sheikh Sahab바카라�s party 바카라�National Conference바카라� is pretty much here. Sheikh Sahab바카라�s children are pretty much here. So it creates so much discomfort in the BJP quarters because BJP essentially wants to implement the idea of India that they have in their minds. It is not the idea of India, but their 바카라�BJP바카라�s바카라� idea of 바카라�New India바카라�."

A third NC leader from central Kashmir says Sheikh Abdullah was the leader who felt 바카라�within the idea of India, the sub-nationalism of Jammu and Kashmir바카라�. He explains Sheikh Abdullah espoused and tried to create is 바카라�off course anti-thesis to that and that is what the problem is essentially with him for BJP. That is the root of the problem바카라�.

바카라�So when we talk about nationalism, it is of course the nationalism of J&K within the larger nationalism of India. But what the BJP is doing is to try to brush aside all sub-national identities and bring every part of every corner of India under this new Hindu kind of an entity that they believe is the idea of India, which actually is not,바카라� says this third NC leader.

So, how does the J&K바카라�s grand old political party National Conference feel about it? The party leaders say they are saddened about their founder바카라�s constant denigration. 

바카라�It has actually saddened National Conference바카라�s heart. It is actually heart breaking for NC and the people of J&K who have supported and loved NC for decades that now we have to become and imagine ourselves as part of India in which things like this happen and legacy of Sher-i-Kashmir is so shamefully erased,바카라� says a NC leader at the party's Nawai Subah headquarters in Srinagar.

The party leaders also say that the 바카라�ideas of division and the blatant imposition of Hindutva which is idea of BJP바카라� has made it sad. The party also says Sheikh Abdullah believed that the constitution of the country affords the luxury of imagining of a political future. 

바카라�J&K you always have to remember is never monolithic. It is a constituency of multiple religions,바카라� explains a NC leader, adding that Sheikh Abdullah represents 바카라�soul of Kashmir바카라� and 바카라�the cultural identity바카라�. He says BJP has a problem with it.

바카라�They(BJP) want to erase. Identity of every person in the world has to be his first love,바카라� says this leader.

PDP on same page as National Conference

People's Democratic Party (PDP), the NC바카라�s main opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir, also seems to be on the same page on Sheikh Abdullah. The changes post-5 August 2019 in Kashmir seems to have brought two main rivals in Kashmir together at least on this issue. 

Like NC, a PDP leader also says Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was the tallest leader that politics of J&K has ever seen.  He says Sheikh Abdullah did everything to sell idea of India to Kashmiris. 

He says, 바카라�The idea of India that he sold to people of J&K was of a country which is governed by a Constitution which has ideals of secularism and democracy at its core. That, I think, was an important sort of thing, the important thing for people of J&K.바카라�

This, he says, was the main reason in his mind that he chose to accede with India in 1947 rather than Pakistan, which had been formed on the basis of religious identity, says this PDP leader.

Another PDP leader adds, 바카라�So basically, he rose above identity politics at that point of time which was a very tough decision at that point of time given the bloodshed, the misery that people had undergone. The acrimony between the communities especially during the partition years. 

바카라�Secondly, a part for the people of Kashmir having blind-folded faith in Sheikh Sahib바카라�s politics is because he mobilised the people on a level which is unprecedented and JK has not seen yet.바카라� 

Another PDP leader argues attacking Sheikh Abdullah바카라�s politics and his identity has multi-pronged dimensions. He says after abrogation of Kashmir바카라�s special status, which was guaranteed under accession, they 바카라�BJP바카라� want to abrogate its history as well.

By demeaning Sheikh Abdullah, the BJP wants to impose its own heroes rather than Kashmir바카라�s own 바카라�indigenous heroes바카라�, says this leader. 

He further says, 바카라�By attacking institutions, they want to create in their own mind one country, one law. They want to create national heroes in Kashmir and replace old local indigenous heroes. What they call as integrating history is uniformisation of history.바카라� 

He also alleges that BJP wants to instill a 바카라�sense of defeat바카라� in Kashmir바카라�s mainstream by doing away with Sheikh바카라�s legacy.

He says, 바카라�When the tallest leader of J&K can be deleted from the pages of history, who are others? What ground do they have? What is their stature? They will also be defeated. There is also a sense of power that they 바카라�the BJP바카라� have vanquished Kashmir, they have conquered Kashmir and want to hold everything Kashmiri 바카라�  their identity, their history, their culture, and their religion.바카라�

Another politician from PDP says, 바카라�If you look at it holistically, by attacking figures and institutions of J&K like Sheikh Sahib, they (BJP) want to orphanise J&K바카라�.

He alleges BJP wants to create a vacuum so that Kashmiris don바카라�t have a link with their past and "how we have reached here and struggles of Kashmir".

He terms it 바카라�ironic바카라� that Sheikh Abdullah, who was a champion of democracy, is being deleted from the chapters of history and is replaced by a 바카라�monarch바카라�, a 바카라�tyrant바카라� Dogra ruler who was basically 바카라�anti-constitutional and anti democracy basically바카라�. 

He says, 바카라�So, I think this is a dichotomy there. What you see is that someone you know as proponent of democracy is being deleted and is being replaced with who challenged democracy and someone who even did not want to accede to India because he wanted to continue with monarchial set up.바카라� 

He adds there is now a question mark on the idea of India which Sheikh Abdullah sold to people of J&K. 

He says, 바카라�India which is magnanimous, India which is democratic, India which is secular, India which is Republic. It brings me to the same point that this is now 바카라�New India바카라� that is being shoved down our throats. New India has its new heroes in terms of Savarkar and Deendayal Upadhay.바카라� 

He says attempts are being made that 바카라�the history that we have look up to, the history which we have read is corrupted version of history and that need to denigrated and deleted from chapters바카라�. He also says there is hidden message behind all this.

바카라�It also means what message Delhi is sending to us that they will install a new mainstream and there will be new hero imposition. It is a process of imposition,바카라� he says.

How BJP sees Sheikh Abdullah?

At BJP바카라�s office in Srinagar at a lazy February afternoon, three men are busy in discussion. A stranger's entry is welcomed. With photos of Mahatma Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee tucked on the wall and Quranic verses stuck opposite to it, party바카라�s Srinagar president Ashok Bhat lists the party바카라�s achievements.

For Bhat, Sheikh Abdullah is no doubt a man who said no to Pakistan and chose India instead, but there are some grudges that he has got against 바카라�Lion of Kashmir바카라�.

바카라�He had gone with India where people live in harmony. He had chosen Tricolour,바카라� says Bhat.

However, Bhat says Sheikh Abdullah had also chosen another flag which now no longer  exists.

He says, 바카라�How can there be ek desh mein do jhande (two flags in one country). This cannot simply happen. Akhand Bharat mein ek jhanda hona chahiye (In unified India, there should be only one flag),바카라� he says.

Bhat claims that Sheikh Abdullah had himself said that Article 370 will be gradually eroded.

바카라�When he became CM post-1975, he accepted Article 370 here would mean hurdles for Kashmiris,바카라� says Bhat.

Bhat says impediments created by Sheikh Abdullah through Article 370 were simply putting J&K behind as compared to the country바카라�s other parts. He also puts down scrapping of his name from the gallantry medal and the dates associated with him.

바카라�Name changing has happened before in the country as well. Previous governments have done the same thing. In UP, Akhilesh Yadav did the same thing,바카라� says Bhat.

So, how Bhat views Sheikh Abdullah 바카라� as nationalist or Indian?. He views him as 바카라�only a good human being바카라�. 

Sheikh Abdullah was India's Man: Congress

Congress waved the national flag in south Kashmir during recently-concluded Bharat Jodo Yatra. The party says the BJP is fulfilling its political agenda by denigrating Sheikh Abdullah.

바카라�It is not government바카라�s agenda. It is not what India sees Sheikh Abdullah as. He was India바카라�s man in Kashmir, a true Indian solider whose nationalist credentials cannot be questioned. It is an absolute sin to do,바카라� says a Congress leader based in south Kashmir. 바카라�Names can be changed, but history cannot be destroyed.바카라�