Jammu & Kashmir: NC, Congress, BJP leaders attend meeting with L-G Manoj Sinha, Mehbooba skips
LEADERS OF many mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday attended a “high tea” meeting at Raj Bhawan on an invitation from Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha
The meeting discussed the smooth conduct of Amarnath Yatra, which is being organised by the UT administration for the first time since the scrapping of J&K’s special status in August 2019.
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This was the first such initiative since the all-party meeting between the Prime Minister and the political leadership of J&K in June 2021.
The meeting on Wednesday was attended by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, BJP state unit chief Ravinder Raina, Pradesh Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami, J&K Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari, former J&K finance minister Muzaffar Beg among others.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti and People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone, who is out of town, skipped the meeting.
The invites for the meeting, which were sent out Wednesday morning, did not specify any agenda.
The PDP rejected the invitation, saying it was “futile to host agenda-less meetings” given the present scenario in the Valley. PDP chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari said, “PDP president received an invite for a high tea this morning. Other than that there was no mention of a meeting or an agenda in the card. Given the security situation in the Valley, a high tea cannot be a priority unless they (Raj Bhawan) specify what the discussion will be about.”
He said Mehbooba had sought clearance to visit her father’s grave on Wednesday, but it was denied. “And then she was invited to this high tea,” Bukhari said.
Sinha, meanwhile, said on Twitter, “Met representatives of political parties and discussed arrangements and management of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra. The sacred pilgrimage strengthens our faith in the goodness of mankind & its successful conduct is the responsibility of every citizen of J&K UT.”
Congress’s Mir told The Indian Express that the LG briefed the leaders about the arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra. “They are expecting about five lakh pilgrims this year. We are all on the same page that the yatra should be peaceful. This is a part of our culture,” he said.
