Aakash Hassan
SRINAGAR
“It is another Shaheed?” an elderly man murmured while looking at the “corpse” draped in black cloth being carried out of the NC’s party headquarters at Zero Bridge.
Before he could utter Innal lila hi Va ina ilaihe Rajaoon, the last words Muslims usually utter on someones death, the white-bearded man was surprised! It was not a dead man, it was just an effigy.
KL Images: Bilal Bahadur
The “corpse” was a effigy of Bhartiya Janta Party minister Chander Prakash Ganga, who holds Industries portfolio in PDP-BJP alliance, being carried by anguished National Conference workers.
With placards carrying slogans: down with BJP, NC activists marched from party head office registering their protest against Ganga, who justified use of brute force against stone-pelters and the anti-nationals and said bullet is the only solution.
His comments came in limelight after a video that has gone viral on social websites. Based on his interaction with media informally somewhere in Jammu, the video was exchanged tens of thousands of times since its appearance in Jammu on Wednesday night.
“They are traitors, whether they have come from Pakistan or they live here,” Ganga is heard saying in the video. “There is only one remedy and that is bullets.”
He says he is a man who does not believe in twisted language – ‘I talk straight and simple’.
Ganga is referring to the video in which a youth is crying as soldiers beat him, and says this has to happen. “Take my word that next time they (the youth) won’t throw stones,” he says.
“Did you see the video in which the youth are raising anti-Pakistan slogans?” asks Ganga, while referring to another video clip that had gone viral on social networking websites. “Laatoon kay boot baatooun sey nahi mantay…inka ilaaj jotay hai.”
Ganga is state’s industries minister. He wants the youth who are seeking Aazadi should be taught the lesson. “From whom, do they (youth) want Aazadi?”
The protest was lead by, president of NC youth wing Salman Sagar. Besides him, number of other activists was seen carrying the effigy.
The effigy was turned to ashes on Residency Road near Radio Kashmir.
The spot, otherwise a crowded spot in uptown, witnessed massive traffic tensions at the time Ganga effigy was going up in smoke. As it was burning, the NC activists were expressing their anger against the RSS-BJP combine.
The Ganga speak has triggered serious tensions in the ruling alliance as well. After discussing it within for a few days, the party finally came out against it by issuing a statement on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile People Democratic Party (PDP) reacting on the snowballing issue condemning Ganga’s remarks.
“It is unbecoming of a senior Minister in the Government to dish out such a sweeping, sickening and intimidating statement against the Kashmiri youth,” PDP said in a statement.
The statement said that Ganga is also in contravention to the stand of the State Cabinet on the issue which in its meeting held in Jammu on April 18, expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives in the Valley and directed the security agencies to exercise maximum restraint while handling law and order situations to prevent loss of lives.
