Congress leader Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia called for a plebiscite in the Indian-held Kashmir Indian during a Lok Sabha session on Thursday. He said that there was a need of “rai shumari” in Kashmir as the situation is worsening day by day while addressing the lower house of India’s parliament. He further blamed the PDP-BJP government, who are in a coalition government in the disputed territory, for the violence in Kashmir. He denounced the violence by blaming the government for using weapons against the people rather than supporting them. However, hours after the address in the parliament, Scindia had to clarify his statement by saying that by rai shumari he meant ‘dialogue,’ not a referendum. The statement of Mr Scindia comes in amid the unrest in Kashmir following the killing of a separatist leader Burhan Wani. Indian forces have imposed curfew in the region since then, shutting down all communication networks as well as the printing presses and have temporarily banned newspapers from publishing. These efforts are aimed at a complete information blackout from the region after days of anti-India protests that left dozens dead and hundreds injured. The statement from a Congress leader shows the concern of Indian leaders towards the worsening situation in the region. Furthermore, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is also under pressure to tackle the situation as the issue is being discussed in primetime television shows in India as well as internationally. Furthermore, the decision of Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh demonstrates the inclination of Indian authorities towards finding a solution to the problem. India needs to realise that it cannot continue to suppress the voices of Kashmiris, and it will eventually have to make a decision for Kashmir. The recent incidents of injuries to the people of Kashmir including children through the use of pellet bullets has forced human rights groups across India to raise their voices on the issue. Since joining the office in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been visiting international powers to improve bilateral relations. The situation in Kashmir does not bide well with the image India wants to portray in the international arena amid continuous human rights violations in the disputed region. The recent violence in Kashmir has been covered by the international media extensively, while the US has also stated that it is making efforts to reach out to both Pakistan and India for improving the situation in Kashmir. India needs to realise that peace cannot be achieved through cosmetic measures or suppression of voices. Furthermore, India cannot get away by blaming Pakistan for inciting Kashmiris to violence every time such an incident is reported. The recent wave o]f separation movement is not led by the traditional separatist parties but the youth of Kashmir who want better lives. For this purpose, India should pursue a dialogue with Pakistan by including the Kashmiri leaders to find a tangible solution to the problem. If a plebiscite is held, it shouldn’t be in a particular area of the disputed region, but across the valley. As amid all the politics, it is the people of Kashmir who are suffering from the decisions of leadership in Pakistan and India. *