The Hindu : Only Cong. can fight communalism: Soz

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 18, 2002

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Only Cong. can fight communalism: Soz

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR AUG. 17. The former Union Minister and Congress leader, Saifuddin Soz, today lashed out at the National Conference (NC) for its "politics of opportunism''. He said the Congress was the only party in the country which could fight the menace of communalism.

Prof. Soz, who recently joined the Congress on the invitation of the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi, said that the NC committed a historical blunder by supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. It was a tragic decision, which deviated the NC from the cherished agenda of its forefathers, he said adding that it left no space for interacting with the national opposition. "My stand was vindicated a number of times after I left the National Conference,'' he said. Prof. Soz stated that the people of Kashmir had not approved the NC's policies at any stage and "they (people) know that it was busy with the politics of opportunism''. The National Conference, he said, could not contribute anything towards the resolution of the problem in Kashmir and lost the opportunity which came its way in 1996.

"It can never be a party to any effort for resolving the crisis,'' he said. Criticising the party for siding with the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, the former NC MP said that it had lost its face in Kashmir. On autonomy, he said: "The NC suffered humiliation at the hands of Centre a number of times but still continued with the BJP." He had a dig at his erstwhile mentor and Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, saying that he was praising the RSS as patriots but "this was the party which was against him in the election to the post of Vice-President and even equated him with Ravana''.

Coming down heavily on the BJP Government at the Centre and its policies towards Kashmir, Prof. Soz said: "Whatever they do it is within the framework of L.K. Advani's policies." The party has let loose communal forces, he alleged, adding that the Gujarat carnage was an eye-opener to millions of Indians. In such a situation, Prof. Soz asserted that Congress alone could be in the vanguard to fight the communal forces. On the reasons for his joining the Congress, he said: "The Indian Muslim leadership wanted me to join a secular party; so I did." Expressing pessimism over the talks being held by the Kashmir Committee led by Ram Jethmalani, Prof. Soz said that the panel did not do any prior exercise before entering into a dialogue with the separatists. Unfortunately, the entire process has been linked to elections and this was only going to help the Home Ministry plans which are aimed at thrusting an election here. "What he feels (Mr. Jethmalani), New Delhi does not feel that'' he observed. .

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