Reasi (Udhampur), May 3
Hundreds of Congress activists from various parts of the region returned disappointed as Ms Sonia Gandhi had to cancel her visit here today because of poor visibility caused due to a dust storm.
People kept waiting for Ms Gandhi in the hope that sky might clear for her aircraft to land at Jammu from where she was scheduled to reach here in a helicopter after paying obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine. However, the large gathering was later addressed by the PCC president, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma.
This was for the first time after the Assembly elections that she was coming to the Jammu division to address a public meeting.
The visit of Ms Gandhi was planned to coincide with the completion of six months by the coalition government headed by Mr Mufti Sayeed. However, the public meeting was an exclusive affair of the Congress as the Mufti’s PDP was not involved in the celebration of the occasion.
Disappointment was writ large on the faces of the people who had come here from far-off
places to listen to Ms Gandhi. A large number of party activists had come all the way from Doda,
Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua, Udhampur and Jammu.
Mr Azad said the NDA government should do its homework thoroughly before initiating a dialogue with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir problem and the exercise should not turn out to be a fiasco as had happened during the bus visit of Mr Vajpayee to Lahore and the Agra talks.
The agenda for such talks should be first finalised through diplomatic channels and it should not fail like the earlier two initiatives. He said the Centre should ensure that the talks with Pakistan were held on India’s terms and conditions without bowing to any pressure.
Mr Azad said the Congress wanted that peace should be restored in Jammu and Kashmir and all groups should be involved in the peace process. It was praiseworthy that the process of dialogue has started with the Centre’s interlocutor, Mr N.N. Vohra, camping at Srinagar for 10 days.
He said that a finance commission was expected to be set up shortly for equitable distribution of finances between the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
Mr Mangat Ram Sharma in an apparent reference to the Panthers Party, which is a coalition partner in the government, warned that all constituents of the coalition should maintain discipline and not try to enjoy power and at the same time try to play the role of an opposition.
The grievances of the coalition partners should be discussed in the coordination committee and not on public platforms.
