08-10-2008, 03:54 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Jammu shuns Central team </b>
PIoneer.com
Mohit Kandhari | Jammu
All-party panel fails, protests peak on 40th day
One step forward, two backwards. This is how one can best describe the outcome of the first round of crucial talks between an all-party delegation led by Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil and members of the Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti on Saturday.Â
The day-long exercise achieved little headway and remained inconclusive.
Patil, accompanied by a 17-member delegation, arrived here amid unprecedented security but had nothing much to offer to the protesters despite an hour-long interaction with the samiti members.
Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Governor NN Vohra were not present at the meeting.
At the end of the meeting, Patil asked the samiti to adopt more 'flexibility' over the Amarnath land transfer issue and help the Centre resolve the prevailing situation in J&K. This despite the fact that even the State Congress leaders echoed the sentiments of the samiti, demanding Vohra's removal and restoration of the allotted forest land to the shrine board.
Emerging from the meeting, samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma announced that the much-hyped talks were inconclusive and that the agitation would continue till their three demands were met.
Meanwhile, in the backdrop of Saturday's futile overtures, the ongoing agitation over the Amarnath land transfer issue peaked on its 40th day.
<b>Several samiti leaders and constituents, who were present during the meeting, told reporters: "Patil had no concrete proposal in his basket." </b>
Samiti leader Brig Suchet Singh said: "We put across our viewpoint but Patil merely repeated his earlier statements delivered during an all-party meet on August 6 in New Delhi. The Home Minister, however, assured all assistance from the Centre to help normalise the situation in J&K. Besides the State Government the Centre, too, would compensate the loss of life and property, Patil said.
The meeting witnessed few nervous moments in the morning as Farooq Abdullah came out complaining of high blood pressure. An immediate medical examination later he was back.
High pitch drama led to the samiti agreeing to sit across the dialogue table. On Friday, Sharma had threatened to boycott the all-party delegation if it included Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Union Water Resources Minister Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz. All these leaders, including former CM Ghulam Nabi Azad
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Haj subsidy should be stooped.
PIoneer.com
Mohit Kandhari | Jammu
All-party panel fails, protests peak on 40th day
One step forward, two backwards. This is how one can best describe the outcome of the first round of crucial talks between an all-party delegation led by Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil and members of the Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti on Saturday.Â
The day-long exercise achieved little headway and remained inconclusive.
Patil, accompanied by a 17-member delegation, arrived here amid unprecedented security but had nothing much to offer to the protesters despite an hour-long interaction with the samiti members.
Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Governor NN Vohra were not present at the meeting.
At the end of the meeting, Patil asked the samiti to adopt more 'flexibility' over the Amarnath land transfer issue and help the Centre resolve the prevailing situation in J&K. This despite the fact that even the State Congress leaders echoed the sentiments of the samiti, demanding Vohra's removal and restoration of the allotted forest land to the shrine board.
Emerging from the meeting, samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma announced that the much-hyped talks were inconclusive and that the agitation would continue till their three demands were met.
Meanwhile, in the backdrop of Saturday's futile overtures, the ongoing agitation over the Amarnath land transfer issue peaked on its 40th day.
<b>Several samiti leaders and constituents, who were present during the meeting, told reporters: "Patil had no concrete proposal in his basket." </b>
Samiti leader Brig Suchet Singh said: "We put across our viewpoint but Patil merely repeated his earlier statements delivered during an all-party meet on August 6 in New Delhi. The Home Minister, however, assured all assistance from the Centre to help normalise the situation in J&K. Besides the State Government the Centre, too, would compensate the loss of life and property, Patil said.
The meeting witnessed few nervous moments in the morning as Farooq Abdullah came out complaining of high blood pressure. An immediate medical examination later he was back.
High pitch drama led to the samiti agreeing to sit across the dialogue table. On Friday, Sharma had threatened to boycott the all-party delegation if it included Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Union Water Resources Minister Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz. All these leaders, including former CM Ghulam Nabi Azad
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Haj subsidy should be stooped.