Srinagar: The united opposition of India’s political parties have termed the current Kashmir situation as “horrible”.
On Thursday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi hosted a lunch to discuss a joint candidate for the post of the President.
At least seventeen parties with pan India reach participated in the meet called by Sonia Gandhi.
The parties criticised the Narendra Modi led BJP government in New Delhi for the “horrible” situation in Kashmir. They also expressed disgust over Saharanpur situation in Uttar Pradesh.
It may be noted that senior BJP leader, Yashwant Sinha, who led a group to Srinagar during 2016 uprising and held two rounds of talks with Hurriyat patriarch Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, is mulling to hold a convention on Kashmir in New Delhi along with many leaders from opposition.
On the issue of nominating a joint candidate for presidential elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pitched in for a consensus candidate (one supported by both opposition parties and the government).
Banerjee said that the names for consensual candidates for presidential election have not been discussed at Sonia Gandhi’s meet.
She said that if opposition parties could not agree on a common candidate for the upcoming presidential election, then “a small committee has to be formed to decide on the candidate if there is no unanimity among parties”.
Senior opposition leaders also criticised NDA government that completed its third year in power at the Centre on Friday.
RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, who was among the invitees, said the NDA had ‘failed’ on all fronts.
“Its only achievement is that it has set the Pakistan flag fluttering in Kashmir for the first time after independence,” Lalu said.
