Nagpur, 1st Oct: The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said constitutional amendments were needed to fully integrate Kashmir with the rest of India. He spoke elaborately on the Kashmir issue in his annual Vijaya Dashami speech and said Hindus who migrated to the state from west Pakistan in 1947 were in a “miserable state of refugees for their decision to be in Bharat and remain as Hindu”. He blamed certain constitutional provisions, like Article 35(A) that empowers the state’s legislature to define Jammu and Kashmir residents and accord citizenship rights to them, for the “backward life” of these Hindu migrants.
“This is happening just because the discriminatory provisions in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that denied them the fundamental rights,” he said.
Bhagwat said, Necessary Constitutional amendments will have to be made and old provisions will have to be changed. Then and then only, the residents of Jammu and Kashmir can be completely assimilated with rest of Bharat and their equal cooperation and share will be possible in the national progress. The Article 35(A), which also bars non-residents from buying property in the state, applying for government jobs, voting in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, is being debated in the Supreme Court after a petition called for its revocation. He also spoke about Kashmiri Pandits, who migrated from the valley in early 1990s when an armed insurgency broke out in the state, saying their condition “remains as it is”.

Welcoming the government’s initiative of firmly dealing with separatists and militants, Bhagwat said the “path for complete resolution of the (Kashmir) issue will be facilitated when the entire society will stand behind the well- thought policy of dealing sternly and strongly with the anti-national forces”.
Bhagwat said reports of cow vigilantes indulging in violence were wrong and asked the government not to misinterpret the facts and make sure that criminals were punished and innocents not harmed as the “virtuous work of cow protection will increase in coming days”.
Apparently referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stern warning against violence in the name of cow, Bhagwat asked RSS volunteers not to get distracted with the statements of “highly placed persons in the government” and remarks by the Supreme Court asking state governments to act against those involved in lynching incidents.
The BJP’s ideologue gave the thumbs up to the government on the economic situation even as the RSS chief sought special protection for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the “tremors” caused by the “cleaning and reform” drives like demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax regime. Bhagwat said SMEs, a great employment generator, were India’s security net during the ups and downs in the global trade and economic slowdowns. He said while reforming and cleaning the economic system, the government should keep in mind that these sectors “feel the minimum heat and ultimately get the maximum strength”.

On Rohingya refugees issue, Bhagwat said, They are being driven out of Myanmar mainly due to their continuous violent and criminal separatist activities and linkages with terrorist groups. Any decision regarding them should be taken by keeping in mind that they will definitely be a threat to national security and integrity.