GROUND REALITY: Hindus in Jammu are distancing themselves from the BJP

While the BJP and the RSS have differed before, their current divergence on Jammu and Kashmir could be more than a passing squall. The efforts of the saffron entities to finesse their disagreement over the RSS' proposal that the state be trifurcated have made little headway. The Government and the BJP are opposed to the suggestion that the Kashmir Valley, Jammu and Ladakh could constitute separate states but the RSS has refused to rethink its position.

In fact, the newly formed Jammu State Morcha (JSM), which plans an electoral debut, enjoys the RSS' patronage. The RSS, while not rejecting the BJP's argument that the proposal amounts to endorsing the two-nation theory, is keen on a debate. It is driven by an RSS committee's findings that there is a lot of resentment against the National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Ladakh. Besides, the RSS and the BJP have lost ground here.

The RSS feels that the BJP is bound to pay for allying with the NC at the Centre. Not surprisingly, the JSM is headed by Sri Kumar, a Jammu businessman and former RSS office-bearer. Jammu BJP leaders also find the statehood slogan alluring. The revolt by five of the BJP's seven MLAs, who have written to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker demanding a leadership change, is not merely a case of factionalism, but indicates the likely migration of dissidents to the JSM.

The RSS' move is well-considered. "We are not expecting immediate results. We only want to highlight the stepmotherly treatment the NC metes out to Jammu and Ladakh," says RSS Joint Spokesman Ram Madhav. The discord is over demographic changes, lack of development and a deep frustration over the NC's political dominance. The Ladakh Buddhist Association's Lama Lobsang concurs: "Ladakh is suffering due to the NC rule."

The BJP's discomfort is obvious. "We have always supported integration," argues Minister of State for Defence and Udhampur MP Chamanlal Gupta. Admitting that Jammu's traditional equations are under strain, he says, "The RSS can take a sectional view but the BJP must speak for all communities."

Critical of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, the RSS is planning a political front in the Valley. State BJP leaders, too, feel hemmed in. "Some of the comments of Farooq and his son Omar are in very bad taste," points out Gupta. This explains the Centre's caution in engaging the NC on autonomy.

Spats in a joint family are not uncommon but unless resolved, both the BJP and the RSS could end up with bloody noses.

-Rajeev Deshpande