By IANS,
Jammu : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence in New Delhi Wednesday and discussed matters relating to the state, especially the civic polls slated to be held in May.
He pledged full cooperation between his party, the National Conference (NC), and the Congress, who are allies in the current coalition government in the state.
The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of differences between the two parties over their respective stands on the Permanent Resident (disqualification) Bill that aims at snatching the citizenship rights of women of the state upon their marriage with non-permanent residents of the state.
The bill is before the state legislature after a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Murtaza Khan, tabled it in the upper house of the state legislature March 7. The Congress is opposed to the bill.
The National Conference, a votary of greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir and solidifying the distinct identity of the people of Kashmir, had supported this bill in 2004 before it fell in the house in the absence of a two-thirds majority required for the passage of the bill.
That time the NC was in opposition and the PDP-Congress alliance was ruling the state. The Congress’ opposition had led to the fall of the bill in the house.
An official release issued in Jammu Wednesday afternoon said that Omar Abdullah and Sonia Gandhi discussed “matters relating to the functioning of the coalition government in the state and expressed their satisfaction over its smooth functioning”.
Omar briefed the Congress president about “the political, social and developmental aspects of Jammu and Kashmir,” the release said, without offering specifics.
“In the half-an-hour one-to-one meeting, the two leaders also discussed the forthcoming local bodies elections and the strategy of the coalition to face them.”
“Omar Abdullah thanked Gandhi for the support the state government had received from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the last fourteen months and assured her that the National Conference will work hand in hand with the Congress to further strengthen the coalition in the state for peace, development and harmony,” the release said.
The chief minister also congratulated Gandhi on her commitment to see the women’s reservation bill through in the parliament.
He appreciated her “commitment to this landmark piece of legislation and also offered the National Conference’s support to the said legislation,” the release said.
The women’s reservation bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha early this month. It needs to be passed in the Lok Sabha before it is sent for President Pratibha Patil’s signature to become a law.
The National Conference has four members in the Lok Sabha.