Whose purpose is being served by 'ostracising' Kashmiris, asks Omar Abdullah
Srinagar : Kashmir is not just a piece of land, it is the people that inhabit it, National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah asserted Sunday, saying by attacking Kashmiris, they were being told there is no place for them outside the valley and no future in the mainland.
"Young Kashmiri students studying outside J&K should have been feted as examples of people who have stayed away from the politics & conflict in Kashmir, choosing instead to make a future for themselves. By attacking them, terrorising them & forcing them to find shelter they are being told there is no place for them outside the valley & no future in the mainland (sic)," Omar wrote on Twitter.
The former chief minister's remarks came following reports of attacks on Kashmiris in Jammu and harassment of Kashmiri students at a few places outside the state.
Omar said the enemy has been trying to drive a wedge between the people in Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country and asked whose purpose was being served by "ostracising Kashmiris".
"Those hotheads that make up the mobs doing this damage need to ask themselves (if they have the mental bandwidth) whose purpose is served by ostracising Kashmiris. Our enemies & those who back terrorism in J&K have been trying to drive this wedge so please please let's not do their job for them. Kashmir isn't just a piece of land, it's the people that inhabit it (sic)," he said.
The NC leader Saturday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and sought his intervention to ensure safety of Kashmiri students and traders in various parts of the country.
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CPI(M) rebel Kunhikrishnan hopes for 5,000-vote win in Payyanur
Kannur (Kerala) (PTI): CPI(M) rebel candidate V Kunhikrishnan, who contested as a UDF-backed Independent from Payyanur here, on Saturday said he was hoping to win the Assembly election by a margin of 5,000 votes.
Kunhikrishnan was expelled from the CPI(M) earlier this year after raising allegations of corruption in the party’s martyrs’ fund against sitting MLA T I Madhusoodanan.
Speaking to a TV channel, Kunhikrishnan said he had announced his candidature as a mark of protest and not with expectations of victory.
However, he said the situation had changed drastically, with a strong undercurrent within CPI(M) votes favouring him.
"The undercurrent in CPI(M) votes cannot be measured. Now people are giving a response indicating victory with a margin of at least 5,000 votes," he said.
Payyanur is considered a CPI(M) stronghold, and a defeat for Madhusoodanan there would be a major setback for the party.
On political violence in Payyanur, Kunhikrishnan said he had been facing it since filing his nomination.
"The people leading this violence should think about how long they can continue it. It is the police which has to take the initiative to stop this violence as part of maintaining law and order. But the police are not intervening at the required level," he said.
Regarding his political future, Kunhikrishnan said efforts were underway to strengthen Left groups, and discussions were being held across Kerala in that regard.
"After discussing with others, a decision will be taken," he said.
Kunhikrishnan is among six former CPI(M) leaders who either exited the party or were suspended before contesting for the UDF in the April 9 Assembly elections.
Elections to the 140-seat Kerala Assembly were held on April 9, and the counting of votes will be held on May 4.
