NEW DELHI: President Venkatraman declared that there would be no compromise on separatism and the unity, sovereignty and integrity of the country or yielding to separatists in the search for solutions to the problems in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
“My government is committed to a process of national reconciliation and the evolution of consensus to solve the many problems facing the nation”, he said in his address to the joint session of parliament.
The address to the customary first joint session after the general elections is also the first major policy document of the new National Front government.
The President said, “the Punjab problem has defied solution so far. Over the past few years, we have witnessed widespread violence. There will be no compromise with separatism but there is admittedly a compelling need for a national endeavor to resolve the problem.
“The government will hold wide-ranging discussions with leaders of cross-sections of the people to evolve a national consensus. A beginning has already been made in the all-party meeting Venkataraman said.
He promised the nation action on the report of the Rangnath Mishra commission of inquiry (probing the 1984 November antiSikh riots) would be expedited.
The President said the situation in Kashmir was extremely delicate and fraught with serious implications.
“The people of Kashmir, who have been second to none in the nation’s freedom struggle, will be enabled to play their rightful role in the process of national growth and development. The problems of the people of the state will be gone into in depth with a view to finding a speedy and durable solution”, the president said.
Expressing concern over the occurrence of riots and violence on sectarian issues, the president called for the generation of an atmosphere of amity and goodwill in order to avoid any communal divide.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 29, 1989
