PDP delegation defers meeting with Mehbooba Mufti
Jammu, Oct 07: The meeting between the PDP leaders and Mehbooba Mufti scheduled to be held today has been deferred. Permission was granted for the meeting to be held on Monday.
The decision to defer the meeting was taken after Mehbooba Mufti had suggested that it would send a wrong signal to meet and discuss only the BDC elections. A emergency meeting was then held, following which it was decided to defer the meeting.
An 18 member delegation of the PDP was supposed to call on Mehbooba today after being granted permission by the administration. The request was made by the local leaders.
Meanwhile, a 15-member National Conference delegation on Sunday met detained party leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah here.
The delegation discussed developments in the state and upcoming local body polls during the separate meetings with the two leaders. The Jammu and Kashmir government had given permission to the delegation to meet the leaders.
The delegation led by Jammu's provincial chief of the party Davinder Singh Rana met former chief Minister Omar Abdullah at Hari Nivas for little over 30 minutes.
10-member PDP team to meet Mehbooba Mufti on Monday
This was the first meeting of Omar with a party delegation after he was detained on August 5, a day when the Centre announced abrogation of special status to the state under Article 370. Omar, who was sporting a beard, was seen clicking a selfie with party leaders.
The
delegation
then
drove
to
Farooq
Abdullah's
residence.
Emerging
after
the
meeting,
Rana
told
reporters
that
for
any
political
process
to
begin,
the
leaders
of
the
party
need
to
be
released.
There
is
"anguish
about
developments
particularly
about
lockdown
of
the
people
and
we,
as
a
party,
appeal
that
the
political
process
to
start
and
democracy
to
revive
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
political
detenues
anywhere
and
everywhere,
whether
from
mainstream
political
parties
or
otherwise
who
have
no
criminal
record,
may
be
released
to
initiate
the
process
and
the
hearts
and
minds
of
thepeople
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir
are
won,"
he
said.
He said the party, which has a legacy, history and a chequered track record, was of unanimous view that it would continue to strive for the welfare of the people and shall continue to work for communal harmony, brotherhood, togetherness and keep the secular fabric of the state shining.
On a question about the party's participation in block development committee elections, he said, "See there is a complete lockdown. If the political process has to start then these members have to be released.
Rana said,"After restrictions on political leaders in Jammu were removed, we held a meeting in which it was decided that we will approach governor (S P Malik) to seek his permission to have an audience with the president and the vice president of the party".
"We are happy they are both well and in high spirits. Of course, they are pained and anguished about developments, particularly lockdown of the people," he said.
Asked about the party's stand on the upcoming Block Development Council (BDC) elections, Rana said for any political process to start in the state, the mainstream political leaders should be released first.
"In case of NC, even if we want to contest the BDC elections, the 380 panchayats that exist, the mandate has to be signed by the party president who has been unfortunately detained under the PSA," he said.
The NC leader said the party's working committee would decide on the future course of action whenever the party leaders including the NC president and vice-president would be released.
"Let them be released, then the working committee of the party will meet and discuss and then we will formulate a strategy for the future," Rana said when questioned about the party's future strategy.
(With PTI inputs)