Soz leads delegation to Rahul, demands ‘no pre-poll alliance’

KL Report

SRINAGAR

The J&K unit of Congress has requested the All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi that any pre-poll arrangement for the Parliament or Assembly elections in the State would shrink the party’s space and the High Command should allow the party to “go alone for the polls.”

“A high-level delegation led by State Congress Chief Prof Saifuddin Soz met Rahul and put forth its views on any pre-poll alliance ahead of Parliamentary or Assembly polls,” a statement issued by JKPCC said on Thursday.

The statement added that Congress delegation met Rahul and discussed issues related to pre-poll alliance. “I didn’t speak on the occasion but many party leaders spoke and put forth their views about the issue (pre-poll alliance),” Soz has been quoted in the statement.

Former minister, Abdul Gani Vakil, who was also a part of the delegation pressed that Congress should “no more be a B-team in future.”

“Firstly, majority of the party-men demanded that there should be no alliance and that Congress should be strengthened in all three regions of the State. They made it clear that the party is in dire need of having its own MPs and more legislators from Kashmir,” the statement said quoting Vakil. “He told Rahul that Congress should not surrender Kashmir at any cost, be it in Parliament or Assembly elections.”

According to the statement among others who were part of the Congress delegation included MLA Inderwal, G M Saroori, former minister Mula Ram, Congress MP Madan Lal Sharma, and district presidents from Kashmir and Jammu regions.

Congress leaders urged the AICC vice-president that the party high command should “allow the J&K unit to go alone in both Parliament and Assembly elections.”

“The Congress leaders informed Rahul that over the past five years of NC-Congress rule in J&K, Congress workers have bore the brunt of discrimination on all fronts. NC ministers always entertained their own workers, be it giving government jobs to youth, allotting tenders, or giving contracts,” The statement said.

The statement also said that Congress delegation urged upon Rahul to ensure that Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Soz address election rallies together in Jammu.

Interestingly, Congress has yet not announced its candidates for the upcoming Parliament elections scheduled to be held in April-May this year. “The issue will be sorted after high command will make its decision public on alliance,” the statement said.

“What remains to be seen is whether the party high command would go with worker’s opinion or impose its own decision,” The statement concluded.

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