State BJP leaders in Delhi to discuss govt working

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 1

State BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh are in New Delhi to discuss the prevailing political situation with Central leaders.

They will meet some senior leaders and brief them about the six-month performance of the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir.

Highly placed sources in the BJP said the Deputy Chief Minister went to New Delhi two days back while the state BJP president reached there this morning.

“The party high command will get a progress report of the six-month performance of the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir,” said a source.

He added that Central leaders had been keeping a watch on the functioning of coalition regime in Jammu and Kashmir, especially performance of BJP ministers.

The sources said the BJP high command was in constant touch with various Sangh Parivar organisations to get feedback about the performance of party ministers in the government.

Although six months was a brief period to judge the performance of any government, the high command would ask all party ministers to prepare detail reports about functioning of their respective ministries.

Instead of calling all ministers and senior leaders, the high command decided to get feedback from the Deputy Chief Minister and the state BJP president first.

Dr Nirmal Singh represents the government while Jugal Kishore Sharma represents the party during meetings with Central leaders.

The sources said BJP leaders would devise a strategy to implement their agenda after completion of six months of the coalition regime.

“The party is very particular about solving some issues, especially meeting the demands of refugees of all categories,” a source said.

He added that the BJP had been facing intense pressure from organisations to take concrete steps to provide relief to West Pakistani refugees, struggling to get basic fundamental rights since 1947.

West Pakistani refugees had pinned their hopes on BJP governments at the Centre and in the state to solve their six-decade problem.

“Party leaders have to devise a strategy to give some relief to West Pakistani refugees by taking the PDP into confidence,” a source said. He added that party leaders were looking for a midway solution to the most contentious issue.