In a shocking statement from a government official, NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat has reportedly said that the internet service in the Jammu and Kashmir region was used to watch 'gandi filmein' (dirty films).?
Since August 5, Jammu and Kashmir has seen unprecedented crackdown and suspension of internet remains in force for many people, though a recent order restored 2G connectivity but social media is still beyond reach in Kashmir valley.?After a total of 164 days of disconnection, internet services in territories of Jammu and Kashmir were recently back online -- although not entirely.? ?
Saraswat's statement has caused widespread anger among netizens, though Saraswat clarified his could-be-controversial remark by saying what he meant was the shutdown in Kashmir "did not have significant effect on the economy".
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual convocation at Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DA-IICT), Saraswat was quoted as saying in a report in The Indian Express: "Yeh jitne politicians wahan jaana chahate hai, woh kisliye jana chahate hai? Woh jaise andolan Delhi ki sadko pe ho raha hai, woh Kashmir mein sadko par lana chahte hai. Aur jo social media hai, woh usko aag ki tarah istamal karta hai. Toh aapko wahan internet na ho toh kya antar padhta hai? Aur waise bhi aap internet mein wahan kya dekhte hai? Kya e-tailing ho raha hai wahan pe? Wahan gaandi filme dekhne ke alaawa kuch nahi karte aap log".
He asked why do politicians want to go to Kashmir, and stressed that they want to re-create the protests happening on the roads of Delhi in Kashmir. And they use social media to fuel these protests. So what difference does it make if there¡¯s no internet there? What do you watch on internet there? What e-tailing is happening there? Besides watching dirty films, you do nothing there.
According to?one research, the shutdowns that the valley has been seeing since the month of August -- after the abrogation of Section 370, stripping the state from its special status -- cost the nation?a whopping $1.1 billion?in losses.? ?
He, however, clarified and said: "Main yeh baat bata raha hoon ki internet Kashmir mein agar nahin hai, toh uss se economy pe kuch khaas antar nahi padhta (I am saying that if there is no internet in Kashmir, then it does have a significant effect on the economy)."
The NITI Aayog member Saraswat made the remark on Saturday while responding to a question on why internet services had been suspended in Jammu and Kashmir if he thought telecom was key to India's growth.
The statement by Saraswat came at a time when the Jammu and Kashmir administration ordered the restoration of prepaid mobile services in the Valley after over five months of suspension. It also directed restoration of 2G mobile data service on postpaid connections to access "whitelisted" sites across the Jammu division, an official spokesperson said.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has now allowed mobile Internet in parts of Jammu region and broadband in establishments providing essential services. The decision came days after the Supreme Court ordered a review of the curbs imposed in the Union Territory.?