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| Congress central leadership reprimands state unit | | Party decides to take part in local body, Panchayat polls | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Sept 19: The Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (J&K PCC) has caved in to the pressure from its central leadership and decided to take part in the forthcoming local bodies and Panchayat polls.
The decision to contest the elections was made public by J&K PCC President, Ghulam Ahmad Mir in a press conference here. Mir said that the decision to take part in the elections was taken to keep the 'communal' forces away.
Sources told Early Times that majority of the Kashmir based leaders of Congress were not in favour of taking part in the elections for local bodies and Panchayats. It was after the reprimand from the central leadership these leaders were coerced to take a call while deciding to take part in the elections.
"It must be understood by the people especially those having interests of Congress party that the critical decisions regarding the party are taken at New Delhi and not at Srinagar or Jammu. Same happened with the participation or otherwise in the local body elections and the Panchayat polls," said sources.
Sources said that the central leadership of Congress was forced to take a plunge in the elections since its absence would have given an advantage to Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) at the national level. They said that situation would have become alarming for the party more so with the Lok Sabha polls not far away.
"The BJP would have taken pot-shots at the Congress leadership had the party decided to remain away from elections for local bodies and Panchayats in Jammu & Kashmir. The BJP leaders would not miss any opportunity to launch a tirade against the Congress leaders in case the party decided not to fight the elections," said sources.
Sources said that the BJP leaders would have given vent to their feelings while accusing the Congress leaders of surrendering before the militants and separatists in case they decided to stay away from polls. The same would have acted as advantageous for the BJP with Congress being at the receiving end.
Mir while addressing the media said that Congress party being a responsible secular force will certainly not give safe passage to BJP neither in these elections not in future. He said that remaining away from the upcoming elections will ensure victory of communal forces, which will be a big blunder.
"Keeping this in mind, Congress party has decided to participate in these elections," he said, adding that the party wants that the elections must be free and fair, if at some point of time, the party feels that elections are not being conducted in a fair manner, then the party after assessing the situation will have no hesitation to take a call. |
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