NEW DELHL: Except the Congress: party, the lone national party favoring elections in Jammu and Kashmir, ale mostly political parties, ranging from the BJP to the CPI(M) last week welcomed the election ‘commission’s decision against holding elections in troubled “The confusion in the Congress ranks was betrayed by the lukewarm reaction of the AICC spokesman, who said the party would “abide by” the decision and contradictory ends taken by the Jammu and Kashmir PCC chief, Mr. Ghulam Rasool Kar ‘and the dissident Congress leader from the state, Mian Basher.
While Mr. Kar described the decision as “regrettable,” Mian Basher who had a meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao, just before the election commissioners met to take when final decision welcomed it S.B. Chavan, Union Home Minister, last week reacted bitterly and sarcastically to the Election Commission’s decision against holding elections in Jam my and Kashmir at this juncture.
In a statement, Mr. Chavan remarked:” It is matter of regret that the Commission took such a view. Perhaps, the issue was looking for ‘ideal conditions the conduct of a poll in the State.”
In a way, the Home Minister appeared to match the sarcasm of the Chief Election Commissioner, TN. Seshan. At his Press briefing, when Seshan’s attention was drawn to Chavan’s statement that the elections will be held come what may, the CEC retried:” The Home Minister is a authority of supreme national patriotism, I have nothing more to say.”
Article extracted from this publication >> November 17, 1995
