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| NC's breast beating over Guru issue, part of pre- poll strategy | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 22 :While the separatists have found Guru's execution and the row over delay in handing over his body to his family members an effective tool for strengthening their relevance and presence in the political space in Jammu and Kashmir,the ruling National Conference seems to utlise the same issue for keeping its vote bank intact in the valley.
Party sources admitted that the NC leadership has seen in Guru's execution issue a potential that could help it in must erring voters support in its favour during the next Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections.
While Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, has preferred to play cool over the issue after he had been instrumental in kicking up anti-centre feelings in the valley over Guru's execution,senor party leaders including Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal,Dr Mehboob Beg and Ghulam Nabi Rattanpuri(both MPs) have been seen raking up with all passion the issue connected with Guru's execution and delay in sending his body to his famly members. Amid growing clamor in Kashmir for return of Muhammad Afzal Guru's body to his family, National Conference (NC) has taken up the matter with Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.Senior party leader and Member Parliament (MP) Dr Mehboob Beg sa that he raised the issue with the Home Minister in the Parliament ahead of the start of budget session.
"I met him (Shinde) in the central hall of the Parliament ahead of the President's address and during our discussion, I urged him that Government should return (Afzal's) body," Beg said. "This is bare minimum which could be done," he told Shinde.
Despite mounting dem-and from the separatists and mainstream politicians, the Union Govern-ment has still not shown any inclination for returning the body Another NC MP has given a new twist to the issue.In a significant development, National Conference MP Ghulam Nabi Rattanpuri has handed over a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that states "if Kashmiris would be given a chance to decide their fate, they would opt for Azadi (Freedom)."
All this was being done to facilitate the ruling National Conference to check further erosion in the party and secure voters support for the party candidates during the Assembly elections, due in 2014. |
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