IT is fashionable for the bleeding heart liberals (BHL) in India to talk out of turn and use POTA (Pulled out of Thin Hair) data to justify their rantings.

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Why are Kashmiris hurt? The first reason given is that polls were mostly rigged in J &amp K…This argument is specious since the first candidate to cede from India on this ground should be Bihar since time immemorial polls were rigged in that state.
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What about Bengal? Jyoti Basu could not have lost Baranagar to a CPI candidate but for rigging by Siddhartha Ray’s Juba Congress boys. Now in every poll CPM indulges in scientific rigging according to its opponents. The Dalits of Western UP will tell horror stories of rigging by Jats till the arrival of Seshan and BSP in that order.

The second issue of hurt is regarding their socio-economic condition. In every indicator J & K stands in the top rung of all the states.

Some of the indicators are:

1. Per capita Consumption of Electricity at 759KWh (2006-2007) is much higher than in UP , MP , Rajasthan, Bihar,WB, etc. (Rajya Sabha Question No.2908-21-04-08).

2. Per Capita Central assistance at Rs.2860 (in 2000) much higher than all states; with TN at Rs.260 and UP at 385 and WB at 426 and all India figure of Rs. 395. If at all; the rest of India should be hurt about it.Even total assistance of Rs 2631 crore in 2000 is the highest among states. (Rajya Sabha Question Nb.1370 dated 0308-2000.)

3. State-wise per capita availability of Milk in India (2005-2006) at 353 gms per day for J & K is much higher than most of the states with all-India average at 241 gms per day . (Rajya Sabha Question 1801 dated 11-08-2006).

4. State-wise per capita allocation for Agriculture and Rural development (2002-2003) at Rs. 305 (Rs.245 and Rs.60) is much higher than most states including TN at Rs. 188 and AP at Rs. 125, Maharashtra Rs 202 (leave alone BIMARU states) with all-India average at Rs.152.(Lok Sabha Question 4659 dated 2304-03).

5. State-wise per capita expenditure (Current and capital) on health in India in 2001 at Rs. 363 is much higher than most states with TN at 170, AP at 146, UP at Rs. 83 and WB at Rs. 206 and a national average of 167. (Rajya Sabha question no. 756 dated 28-07-2003)

6. State-wise average monthly per capita consumption expenditure of farmers in India in 2003 at Rs. 712 for J & K is the third highest in India next to Punjab at Rs 828 and Haryana at Rs. Rs 741 with national average being Rs 502. (Rajya Sabha Question 1759 dated 08-12-2005).

7. The distribution of households in terms of ownership of dwellings at 94 per cent is one of the highest in India (Table H-5 Census of India —The StateJ&K — Census 2001).
We find that this state is among the top quartile or among the top percentile in every socio economic indicator.

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As far as India is concerned, it should conduct a referendum encompassing the entire country about the future of Kashmir and the need to keep Article 370.

That is the only referendum we should think of.

Enough of this nonsense called ‘Kashmiri is hurt.’

*** End of Excerpts ***

Thanks to Krishen-ji for alerting me to this.