*Some new faces likely to be given mandate
Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, Sept 3: Vowing to stage a comeback in the forthcoming elections, former Chief Minister of J&K and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said today that Congress party will participate in the forthcoming polls with renewed vigour and emerge victorious. The Screening Committee of the party had held series of meetings and would shorty submit the entire panel of candidates to Central Election Committee (CEC) for final approval.
This was stated by the senior Congress leader while talking to EXCELSIOR from New Delhi today. “Screening Committee has held consultations with senior party leaders from Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions and the final list of panellists would be submitted to the CEC, headed by AICC President”, said Mr Azad adding, “the candidates will be shortlisted based on feedback obtained from party workers”.
Asked if old guard would give opportunity to new faces as is being done at national level, he stated, “it will be mix bag of old and new faces depending on their eligibility to win polls in a particular constituency.”
Referring to the plight of displaced persons of 1947, 1965 and 1971, he asserted, “the coalition Government is committed to provide a comprehensive relief package to these persons and the State Cabinet would at the earliest recommend the same to the Central Government. In fact, the issue had first been taken up by the Congress leadership with the Prime Minister during the tenure of UPA Government”.
“Besides, our party has also vociferously advocated the formation of a Minority Commission and the Cabinet should also give clearance to the same”, he added.
Expressing grave concern over people suffering due to firing across the border, he said, “the issue has been personally taken up with the Prime Minister, Home and Defence Minister. Our party has urged them to provide adequate compensation to border resident for their inability to cultivate land beyond border fencing, special recruitment drive in Army & paramilitary forces and provide other relief measures.”
For issue falling under the domain of State Government, he said, “I have personally taken up the matter with Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and sought his intervention in matters like allotment of 5 marla plots, granting of RBA status and parity in the ex-gratia relief for those killed in Pakistani firing and terrorist violence, special recruitment in J&K police”.
Asked about the resentment from certain quarters over his meetings with PDP chief, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and People’s Democratic Front (PDF) chairman and MLA Khansahib, Hakim Muhammad Yasin, he said, “as politicians, we are bound to interact with people affiliated with different shades of opinion. We have a social life also and all interactions shouldn’t be seen from a political perspective”.
“If we can hold interactions with our enemies across the border, there should be no harm in interacting with politicians affiliated with other parties”, he added.
Deploring the efforts of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to polarise the situation in the border State, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha said, “it is unfortunate that they are playing with sentiments of people in a sensitive State like Jammu and Kashmir and such divisive politics is likely to damage the social fabric of State. “In comparison, history is witness that the Congress party had made several sacrifices in the State and offered power on platter to other political parties whether it was Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in J&K, Pu Lal Denga of MNF in Assam or Longowal in Punjab, he said adding, “In 2002, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was made Chief Minister of State though Congress party had more numbers”.
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