Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on July 15 said that the
Centre had appointed a senior leader to hold discussions with the state government on
its demand for greater autonomy to the state.
Though Abdullah refused to reveal the name of the Centre's nominee, reports in New
Delhi suggested that former Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley would be holding
discussions with the senior most minister in Abdullah's Cabinet, Ghulam Mohideen
Shah.
"I met him (the Centre's nominee) and congratulated him. But I will not reveal the
name. Let the Prime Minister say it himself," Abdullah said.
The new development has put to rest speculation that the state government intended to
propose an autonomy bill in the state Assembly, which could have been an
embarrassment for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the
Centre.
"We need not bring any bill as the Centre has agreed to discuss autonomy issue. They
have appointed a gentleman for the purpose," Abdullah told reporters in
Srinagar.
The statement came in the wake of a resolution moved by Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPM) state secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami in the state Assembly
for discussion on the autonomy resolution adopted in July 2000 asking the Centre to
reconsider it. However, the Assembly speaker had disallowed the resolution.
The new move was seen as a means of rapprochement between the Centre and the state
over the issue of granting autonomy.
PTI
