Patna: An offer by former Indian Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, promising to hand over Kashmir to Pakistan only if it agrees to take Bihar state as well, has sparked off strong protests — with some suggesting to arrest the judge under sedition charges.
It all began after Katju, known for his penchant for controversy, made a bizarre offer to Pakistan.
In a recent Facebook post, the ex-Supreme Court judge offered to give Kashmir to Pakistan on condition that it also takes Bihar, an eastern Indian state now ruled by a non-BJP government headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar.
“Pakistanis, let us end our dispute once and for all. We offer you Kashmir, but on the condition you also take Bihar. It’s a package deal. You have to take the whole package or none at all. Either you take both Kashmir and Bihar or nothing. We will not give you Kashmir alone,” Katju wrote on his Facebook post.
He further claimed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had offered this deal to former Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf at the Agra Summit but he “stupidly” rejected it.
“Now the offer is coming again. Don’t miss the opportunity,” said Katju who also previously held the post of the Press Council of India chairman.
Although Katju hurriedly apologised for his remark describing it as a “joke” and saying “most people in India lack a sense of humour”, it drew strong protests from various quarters.
“It seems Bihar is his fiefdom which can be given away to anyone,” Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said, charging him with suffering from the “publicity disease”. He narrated how Bihar has a glorious past where great leaders, saints and scientists were born or attained enlightenment.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described it as a very serious issue and demanded his immediate arrest. “He should be immediately arrested. It seems he has relations with antinational forces,” said state BJP spokesperson Vinod Narayan Jha.
The ruling Janata Dal United general secretary KC Tryagi said the man should be charged for sedition. “It’s unfortunate that a person of this stature makes derogatory comments about Bihar,” he told newsmen.
