Jammu and Kashmir State Bharatiya Janata Party has taken strong exception to efforts to change the name and nomenclature of the regions and areas of the state from their historical names. The efforts are deliberate attempt to engineer divide between people in the basis of religion and region, which is not acceptable to BJP.
BJP State Chief Spokesperson Sunil Sethi, has taken strong exception to identifying state of Jammu province as Pir Panchal Region or Chenab Valley region to change demographic identity or its unity with Jammu region. The efforts to change names of region to create separate identity is a serious matter and exposes the designs to divide Jammu on religious and regional lines. More alarming is use of these names even by Ministers and politicians of Alliance Partners.
Sunil Sethi has called upon the alliance partner in government to address the regions of Jammu as existing and not to use distinct names to give rise to suspicion in the minds of people of Jammu region of efforts to divide the region. He said Jammu is one region only which has composite culture of which all Jammuites are proud of and any effort to divide Jammu region on artificial lines of region or religion will be opposed by people of Jammu region as well as Bharatiya Janata Party.
Sunil Sethi further asked the government to take appropriate action against persons who are trying to change names of historical places in Kashmir like Anantnag, Hari Parbhat, Shankaracharya etc. These places are of historical importance and change of their names hurts the religious sentiments of large segments of society.
Chief Spokesperson further said that Kashmiryat of which much is being talked and commented, is ideology of peaceful existence and mutual respect and no activity which intends to affect change in this should be tolerated by the government. Religious Tolerance and mutual respect is the key to lasting peaceful coexistence in the state, he added.
