NEW DELHI: The Congress and the BJP took similar stands on Kashmir at their meetings with the Home Minister on Oct.23 opposing the proposal to appoint political advisors to the Governor and demanding that militancy in the State is dealt with as sternly as in Punjab by the security forces.
The major difference between the two parties was that the Congress delegation demanded an early election while the BJP team opposed the idea till normalcy is restored.
In fact of all the party leaders who met Chavan separately to discuss restoration of the political progress in Jammu and Kashmir the Congress representatives were the only ones to call for an early election in the State.
The BJP CPI (M) and Samajwadi Janata Party felt that the situation in the State was not conducive for holding Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the near future. The three parties told Chavan that steps should first be taken to restore normalcy in the State.
Of course the BJP and the other two panics differed vastly on the methods of restoring normalcy with the BJP advocating tough administrative and security measures to root out militancy as the most effective way of doing so.
The CPI (M) and SJP leaders emphasized the aspect of restoring the people’s faith in the political process draw them into the mainstream and take advantage of their growing loss of sympathy with the enthusiasts Harkishan Singh Surjeet and S.P.Malaviya called for a political approach instead of a law and order approach to restore normalcy in the troubled State.
Among the political leaders who met the Minister on Friday were Sushil Kumar Shinde and Ghulam Rasool Kar (Congress) L.K.Advani Murli Manohar Joshi and Madan Lal Khurana (BJP) Harkishan Singh Surjeet (CPI-M) and S.P.Malaviya (SJP).
Shinde the AICC general secretary in-charge of Kashmir who led a 20-member Congress delegation to Fridays meeting with the Home Minister said though the situation in the Valley was “not conducive to holding elections immediately the Government should take precautionary measures” to enforce law and order so that the polls could take place. Shinde did not explain why his party delegation opposed the concept of political advisors a proposal backed by the CPI (M) Janata Dal and Samajwadi Janata Party “We are not interested in the idea” he said.
CPI (M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet told the Minister that he understood why the Congress was interested in holding elections before normalizing the situation.
“I told him (Chavan) that you will not be able to rig the elections in Kashmir-the situation is not the same as in Punjab the people in Kashmir are totally alienated and without their participation no election can be held” Surjeet said.
Surjeet pressed the points about granting more autonomy to the State in accordance with the provisions of Article 370 and urged that political advisors from among the major political parties in Kashmir be inducted to help the administration establish contact with the people These suggestions had been made on Thursday by the Janata Dal and CPI leaders who met Chavan.
Surjeet told Chavan that granting of more autonomy could help with over the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front militants and thereby restore normalcy to a large extent in the State.
The BJP delegation which also included Kidar Nath Sahni Chaman Lal Gupta and V.V.Dutt told the Home Minister that their party resented the appointment of the new Chief Secretary of the State Ghulam Rasool and demanded his removal.
SJP leaders S.P.Malaviya told Chavan that the Government needed to do some ground work in restoring the people’s faith in the democratic process. He too urged the Government to appoint political advisors or to strengthen the States Advisory Council by giving them adequate security to move about the Valley and ascertain the peoples grievances and recommend remedial action by the State administration.
The CPI will be represented by Bhogendra Jha the CPI(M) by either Basudeb Acharya or Saifuddin Choudhury and the BJP by Madan Lal Khurana.
Article extracted from this publication >>
