JAMMU — Congress candidate from Central Shalteng assembly seat Tariq Hameed Karra said on Sunday that they are ready to hold dialogues with any party and people who are on the same page to throw Bharatiya Janata Party out of the “power corridor” in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Indian National Congress has said that we are ready to hold a dialogue and associate with all those parties and people who are ready to throw BJP out of the power corridor…Everyone is welcome if they are on the same page and are like-minded,” he told ANI.
He also said that if Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad is ready to be on the same page regarding the ideology with Congress, then he is welcome to join the alliance.
“If today Ghulam Nabi Azad’s ideologies match with Congress and if he accepts the leadership and guiding principles of Congress, then he is welcomed in this pious programme. If any independent leader or political party will be on the same page in keeping the BJP out of power, then our doors are open for them. As of now, he (Ghulam Nabi Azad) is not on the same page but if he comes on the same page, it is for him to decide,” he said.
He further raised the issue of the nomination of 5 MLAs in the assembly which will be nominated by the Lieutenant Governor (LG), and said that the LG of a union territory should not have such “arbitrary powers.”
He told ANI, “The other thing was that we have been thinking about the nomination of the 5 MLAs. It was discussed and agreed that if the President of India doesn’t have the arbitrary powers to nominate a person. Because the Constitution says that the President of India can nominate anyone with the advice and guidance of the government, then how come the LG of a UT can have those arbitrary powers?”
He also talked about the problems faced by Congress candidates, alleging that liquor and money were being transported across the region during the election, but the Congress candidates did not get any help from the administration when complaints were raised.
“There was a consensus that they had to face a large number of complaints. Liquor, money and other things were being transported. They (candidates) say that they had been conveying these complaints to the administration. But, there was no cooperation from their side,” he added. — (ANI)