NEW DELHI, Aug 25: Congress today welcomed Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s statements on Kashmir, saying the “hawkish stance” of the Government seems to have mellowed down and hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would himself take the lead in reaching out to all stakeholders through dialogue.
The main opposition party pitched for dialogue with an open mind to end the 48-day long unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.
Welcoming statements of Rajnath Singh assuaging the concerns of people of Kashmir, Congress’ chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala favoured involvement of all political parties in reaching out to the people of the troubled valley.
“If the Home Minister is willing to implement his words into action and reach out and heal wounds, we’re certain each Indian will welcome it. Hawkish stance of the Government seems to have mellowed down.., he told reporters soon after Rajnath Singh’s press conference in Srinagar before returning here.
Advocating the need to approach each and every individual in the State including the “misguided” one, Surjewala narrated a hindi saying to underline that if someone had gone astray momentarily, he should not be shunned.
He wanted the Centre as also the PDP-BJP Government in the State to have a coordinated approach in dealing with the issue. “It’s also time BJP-PDP speak in one language. They have sent conflicting messages, which has aggravated the problem”.
Hoping that the Prime Minister himself takes the lead in reaching out to the people, he said the Congress would welcome any effort to bring about peace and normalcy in the valley which is within the framework of the Constitution.
“We need to realise that while development in J&K is an important paradigm, we need to work towards a larger set of solutions”, he said.
“We need to move beyond rhetoric. Action on the ground is needed. A political dialogue with all stakeholders is suggested. The need of the hour is a genuine public outreach. There is much at stake and risk,” he added. (PTI)
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