By IANS,
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma’s call for “aazadi” for Kashmir has stunned the state government and the matter is likely to be taken up by the coordination panel of the ruling alliance partners, National Conference and Congress.
Sharma, while speaking at a rally of the Congress party in a hilly and remote area of Bani in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, had said that the “people in the Valley want azadi, let them be given azadi; Ladakh should get the Union Territory status and Jammu statehood.” His these remarks on Sunday left the coalition government completely rattled.
Despite repeated attempts to contact him Monday to explain what made him make the remarks, Sharma did not respond. On Sunday he had told some newspersons that he had “spoken in the interest of Jammu region”, which he alleged was the “worst victim of discrimination meted out to it by Kashmiris”.
Sharma had addressed the rally in the presence of Pradesh Congress Committee president Saif-ud-din Soz.
Sharma is a staunch loyalist of Soz who is trying to underplay the remarks.
According to well informed sources in the Congress party, the minister’s remarks have been viewed “quite seriously”. Sharma would be asked to explain his remarks, the sources said.
“This matter would also come up at the coordination panel of the two parties,” an informed source in Congress told IANS.
Sharma is the first ever minister in the government who has spoken of “azadi for Kashmir”.
Reacting to his statement, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashok Khajuria said that while the discrimination against Jammu region was a fact, but the “azadi for Kashmir” demand was siding with the separatists.
“The BJP will raise this issue at all levels, it also exposes the real intentions of the coalition government.”