Kashmiri Pandits resettlement: BJP advocates 'patience' to settle differences

New Delhi, Apr 9: With the Centre and PDP expressing different views over the resettlement of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, BJP advocated "patience" in addressing the issue.

"Patience. Centre and J&K both propose townships for Pandits. Composite or exclusive is the issue. As per CMP the community should be consulted," BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav said. [Parties up in arms against Composite townships for 'Kashmiri Pandits]

Madhav said the common minimum programme (CMP) of the PDP-BJP alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir has stated that the process of resettlement of displaced Kashmiri Pandits would begin by "taking the community into confidence".

"Protecting and fostering ethnic and religious diversity by ensuring the return of Kashmiri Pandits with dignity based on their rights as state subjects and reintegrating as well as absorbing them in the Kashmiri milieu."

"Reintegration will be a process that will start within the state as well as the civil society, by taking the community into confidence," according to the CMP.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh hinted that there was no going back on the plans for separate settlement for the displaced community in the Valley as different voices on the issue emerged within PDP-BJP alliance. [Composite townships: Rajnath hints at going ahead with plans to rehabilitate KPs]

"I don't want to go into details. Whatever decision was taken by the central government for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits...the decision remains the same. We had a good talk with the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (on this issue)," Singh told reporters.

This was hours after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed asserted in the Assembly that there were no plan for a separate cluster for the Pandits. [Mufti Govt makes a U-turn on its plan over composite townships for Kashmiri Pandits]

Clarifying his government's stand in the Assembly, Sayeed said, "I have told the Union Home Minister that they (KPs) cannot live separately (in Kashmir Valley) and they will have to live together... I want to assure the House that we will not make any separate clusters for Kashmiri Pandits."

PTI