| Demands of refugees should be accepted, says Congress | | Conclave of confusion | | Rustam
JAMMU, Sept 4: The one-day-long conclave of the executive committee members of the Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress (JKPCC) was held on August 31, but what transpired during the conclave continues to irritate certain sections of society even after four days. Take, for example, refugees from West Pakistan, Pakistan-occupied-Jammu & Kashmir and refugees of 1965 and 1971.
These refugees should have hailed the conclave, as it passed a resolution on the problems they were facing, but it did not happen. What has been happening is to the contrary. They have rejected the resolution as "eyewash" and "yet another exercise aimed at misleading and hoodwinking them".
Why are they rejecting the resolution as eyewash? They have been terming the resolution on them as a vague exercise because the resolution nowhere said that the Congress, which has been at the helm of affairs in New Delhi since May 2004 and in Jammu & Kashmir since November 2002, will see to it that their grievances shall be redressed forthwith, as the Congress is in a position to deliver on this and other fronts. The resolution only said that their demands should be accepted.
It bears recalling that the resolution on refugees was moved by former minister R S Chib and seconded by MP from Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency Madan Lal Sharma. The relevant part of the resolution said: "There are refugees from Po(J)K and those, who were displaced in 1947, 1965 and 1971. All these categories of refugees have genuine demands, which should be accepted at the earliest. The JKPCC feels that the Government of India is very clear on this issue and once Jammu & Kashmir Government decides action on the demands, the Centre would provide necessary support".
The stand taken by the refugees on this resolution cannot be questioned. For, the Congress is not an opposition party in the state and at the centre. It is a crucial constituent of the Jammu & Kashmir Government to the extent that it will collapse like a house cards in a moment in case it withdrew its support to the coalition government led by the NC. Similarly, the Congress is leading the Union Government. That the Congress adopted should-be-accepted and not will-be-accepted approach has simply disappointed these hapless refugees making them believe that the Congress is simply playing with their sentiments. |
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