Offer of plebiscite in J and K no longer relevant: Chidambaram

Speaking at an event held here to promote his new book Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India, Chidambaram said, “There is a tremendous decline in the situation in Kashmir. What we need to do is engage with the people without a muscular, militaristic and majoritarian approach.

That approach is pushing more and more people into the arms of militants. The only way we can deal with the issue is engaging with our own people.”

He also said the offer of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir had been made under very different conditions, which has entirely changed since then, making it no longer relevant.

Accepting constructive responsibility for not taking it forward after engaging interlocutors in the previous Congress regime, the senior Congress leader said, “We must tell them (people of Kashmir) that we understand your desire for autonomy. Over the years, Congress governments included, we have eroded this autonomy which was given to them. They are not saying they will secede from India. They are not saying we want to become an independent state. They are most tightly bound to India than they were 70 years ago.”

“Both Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh recognised it and genuinely believed that the Kashmir problem can be solved if we restored a large degree of autonomy to the Kashmir valley. And they took steps towards it,” Chidambaram recalled, suggesting devolution of asymmetric powers to the valley.

“We have given asymmetric power to Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Why cannot we give an asymmetric devolution of power to Kashmir,” he said, before proposing reduction in the presence of army and para-military forces and handing over the task of maintaining law and order to the state police.

He also assured that interlocutors would be appointed, and talks would be held with all stake holders in Kashmir to resolve the issue after the Congress returns to power.