Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 23: The high level meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) today unanimously suggested that the party should not form pre-poll alliance with any regional party in the State during the forthcoming elections.
The meeting that was held at a local hotel here was presided over by PCC president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz and was attended by former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress Ministers.
The meeting discussed the rout of the ruling National Conference-Congress alliance in the State at the hands of the BJP and the PDP. The coalition lost to the Opposition 6-0 with BJP and PDP getting 3 seats each.
The party leaders told the meeting that coalition failed to reach to the grass root level. They said that the workers of both the parties did not follow the high command directive that was the main reason for the defeat of coalition candidates.
Soz and Azad asked the party Ministers and MLAs to maintain close contact with the masses and resolve their day to day problems as early as possible.
Some leaders suggested Ghulam Nabi Azad that he should play a bigger role in Congress party that will help them in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Sources said some of the Congress leaders also suggested that party should announce its Chief Ministerial candidate as early as possible so that they will go to Assembly elections with a clear mind.
The meeting also suggested that pending issues of the Pakistani refugees, issues of State Government employees including their retirement age and issues of daily wagers should be immediately resolved.
The former Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting that the meeting discussed the weaknesses of the Government and the party.
“It is obvious there have been weaknesses. Perhaps we didn’t come up to the expectations of the people. It is our duty to discuss where we faltered. It is our duty to work for the people and come up to their expectations”, Azad said.
Azad said that people in the State have given their verdict against the coalition. “Mistakes might have been there. People are the best judges. Voter is judge and he gives his verdict after 5-6 years about performance. This time the voters have given verdict against us and it is our duty to rectify our mistakes”, he added.
The former Chief Minister said that the RSS ran the campaign for the BJP. “We have our own way of running the election campaign. We conduct meetings and rallies. The RSS has its own way of doing it. They spread rumours and deceive people. They hardly speak 5 per cent truth. They did not seek votes for BJP but for Narendra Modi. It is the RSS that ran their campaign. It is just like military that goes to barracks after war. In the same way, they said that they recalled 7 million RSS workers back to their camps after campaign”, he added.
“What kind of rumours they spread, what kind of character assassination they did of Congress leaders and Congress candidates they are experts in it since the assassination of Mahatama Gandhi. Congress doesn’t believe in such type of campaign and they will never do it”, Azad said.
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