Centre should make road map for dialogue in J&K public: Congress

The Jammu and Kashmir state unit of the Congress asked the central government on Monday to make its road map for talks with various stakeholders public, alleging that it had made a U-turn on its Kashmir policy by appointing a special representative.

"For the last three years, they have been saying that there will be no talks with those who do not want to talk under the ambit of the Constitution. Today, the BJP is saying we are open to dialogue with everyone in the state. This is the U-turn on its Kashmir policy," Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president G A Mir told reporters here.

Mir was leading a protest outside the party headquarters here against what he called "total failure" of the PDP-BJP government on all fronts.

He said if the centre was open to dialogue with "everyone", it should come out with a road map.

"The Congress is demanding the list of stakeholders for the last 15 days but they are keeping it behind the veil... They are doing everything behind the curtains and are ashamed in taking a stand and making it public because they are afraid of getting caught by the people whom they have betrayed," he said.

The Centre has appointed former Intelligence Bureau director Dineshwar Sharma its special representative for talks with various stakeholders in Kashmir in an effort to ensure peace in the valley.

Launching a scathing attack on the state government, Congress leader Mir alleged that the PDP and the BJP, the two coalition partners, were pulling in opposite directions as their functioning and lack of cooperation and coordination left the people "disappointed".

"Three years have passed but not a single promise made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the two parties -- the BJP in Jammu and the PDP in Kashmir - has been fulfilled," he said.

He claimed that the two parties were divided on the issues facing the state.

"If BJP is pulling in one side, its partner is pushing towards the other as a result of which the people are suffering immensely," he said.

He accused the state government of "failing" to live up to the expectations of the people of the state and address the problems of border residents, farmers, youths, employees, casual labourers and traders.

PTI