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Refugees in Jammu unlikely to walk into the Congress' trap Ambika Soni's day-dreaming 6/26/2014 11:17:20 PM Rustam JAMMU, June 26: Congress national general secretary Ambika Soni, who is also the in-charge of the party affairs in J&K on Tuesday claimed that the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir would contest the upcoming Assembly elections on its own and emerge as single largest party. "We are going to fight the (Assembly) elections to be not only the single largest party but to give a Government of Congress party," she told reporters in Srinagar after holding discussions with local Congress leaders, including Ministers, legislators, party vice-presidents and district presidents. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and JKPCC president Saif-ud-Din Soz were present in the meeting held to get views of party men on the strategy for the Assembly elections, which are scheduled to be held later this year. Her claim that the Congress would emerge as the single largest party and form the next Government in the state was nothing but a day-dreaming. It would be a great victory if the Congress repeats its 2008 performance in the State. In 2008, it had won 13 seats in Jammu, three in Kashmir and just one in Ladakh. 2014 is not 2008. Much water has flown down the rivers Indus, Jhelum, Chenab and Tawi and the humiliating defeat of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Madan Lal Sharma in Jammu and T Samphal in Ladakh in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections was a proof that the political inning of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir is over. The Government of which it is a part is highly unpopular and the people across the nation have booted out the unpopular Congress-led UPA Government. That the Congress has become a marginal outfit at the national level and in the Lok Sabha could be seen from the fact that it has been denied the status of main opposition or the office of Leader of Lok Sabha. It has just 44 seats in the 543-member House. The Congress leadership can say whatever it wants to keep the morale of party men. But it knows that its claim is tall and not well-founded and that the party has no political future in Jammu and Kashmir. Ambika Soni not only put up a brave face but also sought to mislead and hoodwink more than 1.5 million refugees hoping they would, like in the past, walk into the Congress' trap and vote for the party in the Assembly election. "The Congress would strive to address the issues related to Pakistani refugees living in Jammu, the people from border areas and regularization of the contractual employees in the state in the next few months", she said, and added that the Congress leadership has learnt lessons". No refugee, or for that matter none in Jammu province, would believe Ambika Soni and other Congress leaders. For, the Congress has never ever kept the promises it made. Take, for example, the case of refugees. The October 27, 2002 Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir had talked about the refugees and said refugees from Pakistan would be granted citizenship rights. "All those refugees who came to J&K following the partition of India and were legally and duly rehabilitated in J&K by allotting agricultural land by the Government of Sheikh Abdullah during 1947-48 should be accorded citizenship rights as permanent residents," the CMP said (page 11). It has also talked about permanent settlement of PoJK refugees (page 11). But it did nothing whatsoever to honour the commitments between 2002 and 2008. The 2008 Congress' election manifesto had also held out a commitment that the party, if voted to power, would address the refugees' issue. "1947, 1965 and 1971 shall be addressed," it had said (page 25). But the Congress has not done anything in this regard. The refugees are not that fool that they would trust Ambika Soni and other Congress leaders. But more than that, they know that the defeated Congress cannot do anything for them, as it has been voted out of power at the Centre and it has no chance to form Government in the State.   Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network     Comment on this Story

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