Srinagar, September 9 (Daily Kiran) : Controversy erupted in Jammu and Kashmir following remarks made by National Conference (NC) legislator and party spokesperson Tanveer Sadiq. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) criticized his statements, which many found offensive to the people of the region.
Speaking during an event commemorating the 44th death anniversary of NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Sadiq claimed that before his party came to power, Kashmiris lacked even a single pair of trousers. He stated, “Before Sher-e-Kashmir (Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah) took office, there was only one pair of trousers in the entire region, and people would share it among themselves.”
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur condemned Sadiq’s comments as disrespectful and highly objectionable. He asserted that such statements undermine the culture, dignity, and history of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Thakur emphasized that Sadiq’s remarks should not be considered merely political commentary, labeling them as outright offensive.
He further remarked, “Tanveer Sadiq seems to lack knowledge of our history, our Sufi traditions, and the legacy of our saints and scholars.” Thakur urged Sadiq to be mindful of his words, stressing that he was not just making a political statement but disrespecting the heritage of the Kashmiri people, which is intolerable.
The BJP has called for Sadiq to retract his statement and issue a public apology. Meanwhile, the PDP also weighed in, questioning on their social media platform whether the NC spokesperson would offer an unconditional apology for his disparaging remarks towards Kashmiris.
Sadiq had referenced the extreme poverty that plagued Kashmir due to the absence of a land tenure system, which left farmers unable to sustain their families from their harvests. Following Sheikh Abdullah’s rise to power in 1947, he enacted land reform laws that abolished absentee landlordism, significantly improving the situation for local farmers.
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