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Jammu : Accusing his party of using displaced Kashmiri Pandits for “political gains”, disgruntled BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal on Sunday called upon the party leadership to take meaningful steps to address the “longstanding injustice” with the community.
“This community has been among the most steadfast, yet unpaid, unrecognised, and unacknowledged campaigners for the BJP. Their suffering has been referenced over 500 times in Parliament by the BJP leadership for political gains and used as a tool against every political adversary,” Sirwal, who joined the BJP in April last year after leaving Congress, said.
“I call upon the party leadership to take decisive and meaningful steps to address the longstanding injustice (with the Kashmiri Pandit community). They deserve more than symbolic gestures or repeated mentions in parliamentary debates,” he said.
Earlier, on October 3, Sirwal had threatened to resign from the party, citing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s “unacceptable” remarks against Muslims and the state police’s “vindictive” attitude towards the minority community.
The BJP leader said the leadership must prioritise policies that ensure the safe return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homeland, restore their rights, and provide them with the security and opportunities they have been denied for too long.
“They deserve tangible action, starting with visits by senior leaders to their camps to witness their struggles firsthand, followed by inclusive consultations with community representatives, including the few party members among them, to develop a comprehensive roadmap for their dignified rehabilitation,” Sirwal said in a statement here.
He said he feels compelled to address the plight of the community, a matter of profound concern that demands urgent attention and action.
It is “deeply unfortunate” that not even once has the top leadership, including the Prime Minister or Home Minister, visited their camps to witness the deplorable conditions they endure, he added.
Sirwal said the conditions in their camps, lacking proper housing, healthcare, and opportunities for economic and social reintegration, reflect a “failure to address a humanitarian crisis” that has persisted for over three decades.
Terming the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits a “profound human tragedy”, he asserted that it was not merely an economic issue.
“Families were torn from their homes, their cultural and spiritual heritage was uprooted, and they were forced to live in exile within their own nation, enduring decades of hardship in camps marked by inadequate facilities and neglect,” Sirwal said in the statement.
He decried the absence of “meaningful deliberation” with the community to address their grievances or work towards their rehabilitation.
“This lack of engagement stands in stark contrast to the frequent invocation of their plight in political rhetoric, which has often served as a tool for electoral advantage rather than a call for genuine action,” he alleged.
The community’s trauma is compounded by the absence of sincere dialogue or concrete plans for their safe return and rehabilitation in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP leader said.
“This neglect is not only a disservice to a community that has stood by the party through immense hardship but also undermines the principles of justice, inclusivity, and compassion that the BJP claims to uphold,” Sirwal said.
He said the BJP has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to all communities by addressing the legitimate pleas of the Kashmiri Pandits with the seriousness and urgency they deserve.
“I remain hopeful that the party will rise to this moment, moving beyond rhetoric to deliver justice and dignity to a community that has suffered in silence for far too long,” he said. (Agencies)
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