City plays host to politicos from other states

“We are planning a series of events with the politicians from the North East states,Punjab and J&K in which besides the politicians,the officers and bureaucrats will be also invited. These events include interaction with National Conference leader and Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather,J&K Governor N N Vohra,Vice-Chancellor of Sikkim University Mahendra Lama and some bureaucrats and politicians from Punjab,” said Sanjay Nahar,fonder-president of Sarhad,a city-based NGO.

Last month,former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had come to the city and resorted to “bashing the separatists politicians in the state”. On October 4,former CM and Assom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was in the town. During his visit,Mahanta “criticised the Congress for its lack of policies in the North East”.

“There is a close bond between Maharashtra and Assam,” Mahanta had said at a function which was organised by Sarhad and attended by “people from different walks of life including the local politicians”. Mahanta had then said that he regretted that the students from North Eastern states don’t prefer to work in their own states and instead go to cities like Pune for jobs “due to the troubled situation there”.

“We have concentrated on the seven sister states of the North East and will hold political interaction as the North East poses a much greater security challenge than even Jammu and Kashmir,” Nahar said.

City-based politicians say that it’s a healthy trend and should continue. “This is a welcome sign that the politicians from other parts of the country are coming here to attend different functions on issues of national integration. This should be continued,” BJP MLA Girish Bapat said.

Congress city president Abhay Chhajad said,”For such issues as J&K and North-East,it is our duty to we help the restoration of peace in these places. I had attended a function with the Kashmiri children which was addressed by Farooq Abdullah. These functions help achieve the national harmony.”