M A I N   N E W S

NC to stay away from PM’s meeting today
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 17
Tight security arrangements have been made in view of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit here tomorrow.

Mr Vajpayee would be the first Prime Minister to address a public meeting here since the eruption of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, after a gap of more than 16 years.

The PDP leaders are working hard to make the public meeting of Prime Minister a success. Its ally, the Congress party, which is in opposition at the Centre, is also making efforts for the participation of its workers, party sources said. This is being done in spite of the Congress being in opposition to the NDA alliance at the Centre, where instead the National Conference is an ally of the NDA, while it is in opposition in the state. The ‘compromises’ have been made only with regard to the constitutional level to keep the Centre-State relations working for overall development of the state.

The National Conference has asked its cadres to stay away from the public meeting for it was a show of the ruling coalition partners led by the Mufti Sayeed’s PDP. The former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member, Dr Farooq Abdullah and his son and NC president, Omar Abdullah, Lok Sabha Member from Srinagar, will be attending the function of laying of foundation stone at the airport terminal tomorrow.

UNI adds: Accompanied by Civil Aviation Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar and other senior Central government authorities, the Prime Minister will be laying the foundation stone of the Rs 45 crore expansion project of the Srinagar airport immediately on his arrival.