New Delhi, August 4
Concerned over the communal crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is planning to convene an all-party meeting to widen the scope of opinion on handling the crisis. This even as the Union defence secretary and the home secretary today rushed to Jammu for an emergency meeting.
The first priority is to see that the crucial Jammu-Srinagar highway is opened and convoys of trucks keep moving. The highway is the lifeline of the valley and winter supplies have to be stocked. Besides, daily need items like petroleum products among several other items have to be provided. The Army was called in Jammu on Saturday.
Sources said a decision to convene an all-party meeting had been floated among the parties even though a date had not been finalised. The BJP had reportedly suggested that the government first talk to the people of
Jammu. The leading opposition party had also suggested that there was no need to involve parties that had no locus standi in Jammu and Kashmir. This means parties like those headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan, who have a sizable Muslim votes, should be kept out.
In Congress circles, it is being believed that the BJP is trying to whip up communal passions using the Amarnath land issue.
The crisis in Jammu and Kashmir is being watched very seriously as the state is under international spotlight. Elections in the state are due in October and the Election Commission will hold a meeting on August 11 to decide if elections can be held as per schedule or not.
As of now this seems a remote possibility as reports from the hill state have indicated that the free and fair conduct of elections is not possible. Last minute corrections and verifications have to be made in the electoral rolls and the state is facing an abnormal situation due to militancy and also due to the two agitations. The first is the protest against the allotment of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board and the ongoing one in Jammu is protest against the cancellation of the land allotment.
The government is also worried about the agitation spilling beyond Jammu. The adjoining district of Gurdaspur in Punjab is a BJP-Akali stronghold. Yesterday, Shiv Sainiks stopped at least two trains at Pathankot. Even that had to be watched sources said.
Last night, Prime Minister, on his return from the SAARC Summit in Colombo, was briefed on the issue by Sonia Gandhi, home minister Shivraj Patil, AICC general secretary and in charge for the state Prithviraj Chavan, besides Saifuddin Soz and Ghulam Nabi Azad.
