SRINAGAR: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) president, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Leader of Opposition (LOP) and former Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, will convene a meeting on Jammu and Kashmir affairs with district heads and other leaders from the Union Territory in Delhi on April 4. This meeting will take place ahead of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) session scheduled for April 8-9 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Party sources have revealed that the meeting will be attended by all district presidents of Jammu and Kashmir, led by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra, along with other senior leaders. The gathering, set to be held at the All India Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan, New Delhi, is expected to include 25 to 30 leaders from the Union Territory.
During the meeting, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi will seek feedback from the Congress leaders regarding party affairs across different regions, sub-regions, and districts. Discussions will also cover the political and security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The AICC may deliberate on strategies to strengthen the party at the district level and the necessary steps to be taken in this regard. Additionally, the meeting is expected to address the prevailing law and order situation and the rising incidents of terrorist activities in Kathua, Udhampur, and other parts of the Jammu region.
JKPCC president Tariq Hameed Karra, when contacted, confirmed that this meeting is part of a nationwide initiative undertaken by the AICC. He mentioned that similar meetings have already been conducted in 13 states, with the remaining states to be covered in the coming days. According to Karra, around 800 districts across the country are being included in this exercise, with feedback being collected from district and state heads on party affairs and overall law and order conditions in their respective areas. He also stated that the district heads from Jammu and Kashmir will have the opportunity to highlight the prevailing situation in their respective regions during the meeting.
Karra clarified that while the escalation of terrorist activities in the Jammu region will be a point of discussion, the meeting is primarily aimed at gathering inputs from party leaders on a range of issues affecting their constituencies.
In addition to the JKPCC chief, the meeting is expected to be attended by AICC general secretary and in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs, Dr Naseer Hussain, as well as AICC general secretary and Leader of Opposition in the J&K Legislative Assembly, G A Mir.
Meanwhile, sources indicated that Dr Naseer Hussain, newly appointed as the AICC in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs, will undertake his maiden visit to the Union Territory after April 10.
