Prime Minister Modi on Thursday chaired a crucial meeting with 14 leaders of Jammu and Kashmir based parties including four former chief ministers to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the future course of action for the Union Territory.
In the meeting, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded restoration of statehood and said the people in the state are shocked after the developments in 2019. He said that the leaders will wait for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda for today’s meeting and respond accordingly.
This is the first such meeting after August 5, 2019 when the Centre decided to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status.
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir are on high alert as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met leaders of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a coalition of mainstream parties in Jammu and Kashmir, in New Delhi on Thursday.
The meeting was the first political exercise after August 5, 2019 when the Centre decided to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status. Apart from this, the Centre also reduced Jammu and Kashmir’s status from a state to a Union Territory and bifurcated it.
The government, official sources have indicated, is ready to discuss all issues that the Jammu and Kashmir parties bring to the table, but for now it is focused on getting the delimitation exercise completed and hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible.
On Wednesday, the Delimitation Commission held a virtual meeting with the Deputy Commissioners of all J&K districts to discuss details of existing electoral constituencies.
PM Modi plans to kick-start the political process leading to Assembly elections, the first step towards having an elected government in the Union Territory of J&K.
In other India News, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma quashed the rumour of dissent and divides in the BJP and said all is well in BJP, Yogi Adityanath to lead in 2022.