Bhushan wrong on Kashmir,others too will want to secede,warns Justice Katju

Speaking to Shekhar Gupta,Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express,on NTDV 24×7’s Walk the Talk programme,Justice Katju,who has taken over as Chairman of the Press Council of India,said: “We have to remain united. I do not agree with (Bhushan) saying that you can secede. I do not accept all this.”

Asked whether Bhushan was wrong,Justice Katju said: “That I think he was wrong”. But at the same time,he said,the assault on Bhushan too was wrong. “The attack on him was wrong. You should not commit acts of violence. I do not accept acts of violence,” he said.

“I condemn all kinds of violence,but it must be also considered… see if you say that this can secede or that can,then where is the end of it… if you say Kashmir can secede,then tomorrow Nagas will say we can secede,Mizos will say we want to secede,Tamilians will say we want to secede.

“You know this is a country of immigrants. You must realise what is India,92 to 93 per cent of people living in India are descendants of immigrants,including you and me. We are like North America. And because we are a country of immigrants,there is tremendous diversity and,therefore,we must be tolerant of each other and at the same time we must be united,” he said.

“This saying that you can secede and you can… Did Abraham Lincoln allow the southern states of the USA to secede? They said that we have formed a Confederate States of America… separate government. Abraham Lincoln said you will not be allowed to secede. He went to war. Otherwise,you see there is so much diversity in India,if you allow Kashmir to secede,then tomorrow Nagaland will secede,then Mizoram will secede,Tamil Nadu will secede,everyone will talk of seceding. We must remain together,you must understand what is India,” he said.

Justice Katju said “there should be democratic ways of resolving disputes,if there are disputes between people.” Referring to the boundary dispute between Nagaland and Assam,he said skilled mediators were appointed and the feedback they got from the Nagas was that “we are being heard for the first time… somebody is hearing. Earlier,the British never heard us,the Indian government never heard us. Here are people appointed by the Supreme Court to hear us… Hopefully,some consensus may come about”.