SRINAGAR: Terming the Home Minster Rajnath Singh’s assurance of not hurting the sentiments of Kashmirs by fiddling with Article 35_A, as a step taken under pressure from Congress, senior Congress leader and former minster Tariq Hameed Karra has said that this was the first success of Congress Party’s relentless pressure on government to avoid taking people of Jammu and Kashmir fargranted.

Traiq Hameed Karra (KL Image: Bilal Bahadur)

In a statement, Karra said that Rajnath’s sudden Jammu and Kashmir visit and his announcements regarding centre’s readiness for holding dialogue was the outcome of Congress pressure for which he must be thankful to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi who have acceded to his request- before he joined the party -of constitution of such a group.

Karra said that it was probably for the first time that Home Minster’s visit to J&K was announced without any pr-eschedule which clearly indicates that his visit was to counter balance Congress’s efforts of hand holding attempt towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir and also BJP’s futile exercise to downplay the Congress Policy and Planing group’s Jammu visit led by two time former Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh. Karra however, said that the aim of the group’s visit was fulfilled when the Home minster climbed down from the earlier tough stand of not holding a dialogue with anybody. Karra though made it clear that only announcements won’t work and these have to be substantiated with follow up actions. He said that when he had filed a petition to safeguard article 35-A in Supreme Court, the hearing was deferred on Government’s request which was an indication of them feeling the heat. He added that now when that heat has began to make BJP _PDP uneasy, the home Minster has come up with an assurance of not fiddling with the article. The former Finance Minster however, insisted that if the government was sincere and serious, it should file a counter affidavit in Supreme Court and then fight it out vigorously. Karra also said that BJP must prevail upon the petitioners to withdraw their petition as they were all backed by it.

He appealed people to come forward and meet the Congress Policy and Planning Group during their Kashmir visit that begins on 16th of September. The former Parlimentarian said that he has worked tirelessly to make this visit happen so that people of the state are provided an opportunity to share their miseries that have been thrusted upon them by the PDP _BJP government. He said that Congress on its part was extremely serious to hand hold the people of the trouble hit state and assured that the process would not hault and they would continue to strive for the peaceful and dignified resolution of the issue.

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