By IANS,
Chandigarh : Terming the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as an anti-national party, former Jammu and Kashmir governor Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha Sunday said its leaders were trying create a rift among people on communal lines.
Speaking at a seminar on Shri Amarnath Land Transfer – Implications of Revocation’ organised by the Forum on Integrated National Security here, Sinha denied he had any role in the transfer of the controversial land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) in May when he was the governor of the state.
“It was in 2005 that the request for land transfer to the shrine board was made. The cabinet approved it following pressure from ministers and the land was transferred,” he pointed out.
However, the decision triggered protests in the Kashmir Valley and the state government cancelled the move July 1 – only to face protests, now in the sixth week, from people in Jammu region.
Sinha said violence in Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley over the land row was unfortunate and a national tragedy.
He said he would go to all parts of India to clear the issue in the minds of people and blamed the media for “partisan reporting”. “Facts had become a casualty,” he said.
“The transfer of land to the shrine board is nothing unusual or unique. Land is being transferred (in the state) for several other purposes. The state would have retained proprietary rights over the land,” he said.
Sinha said: “There should no appeasement of any faction while dealing with the situation. The people of Jammu should be requested to refrain from violence to prevent communal enmity. Facts about land transfer should be made clear to the people.”