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| Bridging the divide | | It is time to bring them nearer - physically, psychologically and politically | 
THE PANDIT QUESTION
By B L Saraf
Elections 2014 have drastically altered political and social scene at the national level. Stereotypes have broken. Apart from shattering many myths, the result has reaffirmed faith of a common man in the democratic process, wherein he sees an opportunity to aspire big and reach the highest political level, unaided by a family name and in absence of economically empowered habitat. In J&K this election has been a game changer of sorts. Many possibilities have sprung up. Entrenched political players have been thrown out of the comfort zone and made aware that something more than a family name is required to remain afloat in the political environment. Pleasant surprises are galore in demographic character of voting in the Valley. Available statistic show that good number of Pandits have shed the indifference and, despite serious effort of the election authorities to deter them from voting by prescribing a cumbersome procedure, cast votes in favour of Kashmir based political parties. This marks a welcome departure from the past when the Pandits, mostly, voted for Congress party in the Valley and for BJP in Jammu and elsewhere, when in exile. There is no harm in voting for the national parties – sometimes it may be a desirable thing to do. But to reserve all political love and affection for them and ignore regional political parties is not a wise thing to do for a minority section of the population. It is good to respond to the local sensitivities and demands while retaining focus on the national imperative .
The Pandit vote may or may not have materially influenced the outcome of Valley elections. Nevertheless, the signal is loud and clear. Given the highly polarized character of the electioneering , this step is a big leap for the pluralism which defines our State. The idea of secularism has to be strengthened.Pandits have taken a step, but it will mean nothing unless it finds a strong resonance in the vastness of Kashmiri ambience. It should not give impression of lamb preaching vegetarianism when the wolf is of other idea. Fear of life has not vanished from the Valley. The chips are still down ; there is impending need to dispel the impression that the Pandits are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. They mean serious business this time. The state has to reach out to them in a big way. Above all, the regional political parties will have to find space for them in their policy formation apparatus.
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
(Opinions expressed in write-ups/articles/Letters are the sole responsibility of the authors and they may not represent the scoopnews.in)
Editor, Scoop News
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