NEW DELHI, JUNE 16: Congress would launch a political offensive against the Farooq Abdullah government and the BJP on the issue of greater autonomy for the state of Jammu and Kashmir and expose the `divisive designs' behind the proposal which is likely to be placed for debate before the state legislature on June 19.This was decided after two-day deliberations of the state Congress leaders and the party high command here last night. The JK delegation, comprising six party MLAs, two former MPs and the state party president, was told to adopt a confrontationist path in the special session.Mangat Ram Sharma, a two-time former MP told The Indian Express that the party would oppose the autonomy proposals openly. ``At a time when the state is facing proxy war and needs to project an image of unity, Farooq Abdullah's autonomy packages would only generate communal and regional hatred''.Sharma said Abdullah appeared more interested in raking up the issue for political reasons. He said greater autonomy for the state was not acceptable to the people of Kashmir, Ladakh and even some sections of Kashmiris.Abdullah government had presented the twin autonomy reports- on state autonomy and regional autonomy (intra-state)- in the last session of the JK legislature. A special session has been called to discuss the proposals. The nature of the proposals, to be presented by the National Conference (NC), is not clear. However, as Mohommad Shafi Qureshi, PCC(I) president said, ``The NC could either bring it in the form of private member's bill, in which case, it would be a non-serious thing or, as the government bill, which will be very important''.Mangat Ram Sharma accused the BJP of double-speak on the issue of autonomy. ``The state leaders are totally opposed to the autonomy proposals but their central leaders are apparently ready to accommodate Abdullah's whims''. He claimed the autonomy debate would give an opportunity to his party to expose this nexus. ``The BJP would like to keep the Jammu electorate happy with their anti-autonomy rhetoric but when Advani constitutes a secretary level committee to study the autonomy proposals, Abdullah appears to be all-powerful''. He said the BJP would have to explain its stand this time.Ashok Sharma, MLA, said his party was opposed to the manner in which both the autonomy reports had been finalised. ``These committees were constituted arbitrarily'', he said. The one on state autonomy had NC members while the other report on regional autonomy was finalised with the help of government nominees after the resignation of its chief, Balraj Puri.``The autonomy proposals have widespread ramifications on national and international level and they should have been handled with seriousness,''he said.Sources said Congress would invoke the 1975 accord between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah which envisages review of laws in the concurrent list. ``Abdullah and Indira Gandhi were great leaders who are credited with bringing about peace in Kashmir but they never thought of reviewing the state's relationship with India,'' Sharma said.Congress is questioning Abdullah's motives in ``trying to prove that he is able to force India to consider an alternative to the freedom, which will only legitimise the cause of secessionists'', Mangat Ram Sharma said.
