Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Sept 22: The All India Congress Committee general secretary and In-charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs Ambika Soni, today said that Ministers of his party should ensure that the decisions taken in the Congress-National Conference Coordination Committee meetings are implemented.
Soni while speaking at the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee meeting at SKICC said that she met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yesterday and discussed the issue of coalition with him.
Soni expressed her concern that neither Chief Minister Omar Abdullah nor NC patron and Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah attends the Congress-NC coalition committee meetings. She said that coordination committee will be meeting twice in a month to discuss various issues of the coalition.
Large numbers of Congress leaders who spoke on the occasion were furious over what they said about the tirade launched by senior NC leader and uncle of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Dr Mustafa Kamaal against Congress party. They conveyed their concerns to senior party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni about the statements made by Kamaal against the party leadership.
A senior party leader told Excelsior that speakers at the meeting highlighted the need that NC should be told to rein in Kamaal who has been issuing derogatory statements about Congress and its leaders in the State.
It may be mentioned here that Kamaal has been issuing statements against NC’s coalition partner, Congress for last 5 years. This week Kamaal took a swipe at Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, who is in the Council of Ministers from Congress quota, and PCC president Saif-ud-Din Soz following the report about a secret intelligence unit of the Army trying to topple the State Government.
Soni in her address urged the Ministers to strengthen their liaison with party cadres at all levels and assist the Congress President in promoting the party’s interests. He told Congress Ministers to sit in the office and meet people to address their grievances for strengthening of the party at the grass root level.
Many delegates demanded that the coalition with NC should be run on the basis of equality. “The NC is running the Government in an authoritarian way which is against the interests of Congress party in the State,” said delegates during the meeting.
The delegates said that the Deputy Commissioners and other officers in various districts don’t cooperate with the Congress workers and leaders as “they feel that the Government is run by the NC”. They urged the party top brass to take the issue with the NC leadership so that the Congress party workers didn’t face difficulties at the grass root level in implementing various developmental works in their areas.
Although the subject of alliance, pre-poll or post-poll with NC or PDP, in the State for next year’s Parliament and Assembly polls was not discussed but the delegates stressed that party should fight the elections on their own without any pre-poll alliance.
The delegates told the meeting that Congress has strengthened its position at ground level in the State and need not to enter into pre-poll alliance with any party as it is not in the interests of the party.
The delegates in their addresses said that the majority of the Panchayat members across the State are Congress workers and it is clear indication of the support party enjoys across the State.
The delegates cited the victory of Congress in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil as an example of party’s growing strength in the State. The delegates also expressed their displeasure over the NC’s efforts to form the majority in LAHDC Kargil through “illegal means”.
Union Health Minister and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad, in his speech, urged the Congress workers to remain fully united in serving the interests of the common people. He said that this could best be done by promoting unity in the Party.
Azad stressed for the unity and told the Congress leaders to end the groupism in the party. “I and Professor Soz don’t meet at the party meetings but we meet every day in Parliament. We are one and have to end groupism.” He said that the Congress party will be single largest party in the State after the assembly elections.
Azad told the convention that Congress will hold six conventions in the State in next few months and these will be followed by rallies at various places.
At the end of the convention, JKPCC unanimously adopted four resolutions. The convention emphasized the resolve of the JKPCC to urge the Coalition Government to incorporate important provisions of the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution of India that aims to strengthen Panchayat Raj Institutions in the State.
Soni said that they have given two months time to Chief Minister to incorporate these provisions and will take further decision about the future of the coalition if the provisions are not incorporated in two months.
Another resolution stressed the need to hold Elections to the Local Bodies, in the States, as early as possible. It may be mentioned that the local bodies elections are overdue and government has been delaying them on one pretext or the other.
The resolution also stressed the need to remember time and again the Contribution of great sons and daughters of India who laid a strong foundation for unity and integrity of India in an atmosphere of secularism and togetherness.
The resolution also stressed the need for maintaining unity and integrity of the J&K State and stressed the fact that the Congress Party alone, which has very large presence in all the three regions of the State, could ensure the unity and balanced development of all the three regions.
Another resolution on Land Acquisition Act highlighted the fact that this land-mark Legislation would lift the land owing Community to a position of prosperity and dignity in life. The Resolution further emphasized the fact that this act and Food Security Act would together revolutionize the scene all around and these Acts would constitute a historic measure for Social land economic progress of the masses.
Soni and Azad in their addresses urged the Congress leaders and workers to create awareness among the people of the State about the important steps taken by the UPA Government at Centre including the National Food Security Act, the Land Acquisition Act and other development works.
The meeting was attended by around 300 Congress delegates from Kashmir division and was attended by senior party leaders, Congress Ministers, Ambika Soni, Gulam Nabi Azad and party president Professor Saifuddin Soz.
Thirty Congress leaders spoke in the Convention and put forward their view point on various issues.
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