Sinha wanted to implement Hindutva agenda in J

Srinagar, Jul 4 (UNI) Accusing former Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha of wanting to communalise the situation and implement his Hindutva agenda in Jammu and Kashmir, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today said he tried to run an ''independent republic'' within the state Reacting to recent remarks by Gen Sinha, a PDP spokesman in a statement here said the former Governor was upset with PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as the latter had proved to be a stumbling block in his plan to communalise the situation in the state and implement his Hindutva agenda.

''The former Governor's attempts to run the Shrine Board as an independent republic within the State were effectively thwarted by Mr Sayeed for three years and Gen Sinha's anger is understandable,'' he added.

Mr Sayeed, the spokesman pointed out, had questioned the attempts at commercializing the holy pilgrimage for the benefit of Board officials and hazarding in the process the new atmosphere of reconciliation that had been ushered into the State.

Unfortunately, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad facilitated the agenda of the former Governor, with consequences that ''now threaten the entire political and social fabric of the State''.

''No wonder Gen Sinha is now singing paeans of Azad and National Conference and singling out PDP for his abusive remarks'' the spokesman added.

The spokesman said Gen Sinha had a number of reasons to be annoyed with Mr Sayeed as he had advised a realistic timeframe for the Yatra that would neither risk the life and comfort of the pilgrims nor fiddle with its basic character--'' that of a journey of faith.'' But the former Governor and his aides ignored all sane advice including even that from the Holy Men. ''In the process, Gen Sinha ensured that local stake-holders were virtually marginaliased,'' the spokesman said and pointed out that even the voluntary kitchens (langars) were charged fees to fill the ''bottomless coffers'' of the Board. ''Where has all the money gone?'' he asked.

The spokesman reiterated the party's resolve to continue channeling the genuine aspirations of the people along civil and democratic lines.

He alleged that it ''sounded strange to Gen Sinha's ears to hear of troop reduction, rehabilitation of families of slain militants, cross border movement, relations with Pakistan, human rights concerns etc from the then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

''He was obviously missing the standard incumbents of that post who were programmed to call for destruction of Pakistan and threatened to make Hurriyat leaders rot in jails or keeping no space in jails for militants and killing them instead'' the spokesman said.

The spokesman said Gen Sinha was also upset over the decision to allot 7000 Kanals of land to Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University at Rajouri, setting up of an Islamic university in Kashmir and allotting land for construction of the Mughal Road.

UNI BAS RR AS1822