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J&K Cong. seeks to get political mileage out of CMs' meet

By Javed M. Ansari

SRINAGAR MAY 29. The fifth Congress Chief Ministers conclave beginning here tomorrow, appears to have provided the party with yet another opportunity to showcase its reach. For the Jammu and Kashmir State unit, it is a time to build on the gains of the last elections and to derive as much political mileage as possible.

Billed as the biggest assembly of political heavy weights from outside the Kashmir Valley, in many years, its message to the people of the State is clear. Mr. Vajpayee may have spoken of peace on his last visit, but ``the Congress alone can bring about Kashmir's real integration into the Indian mainstream.'' Banners and buntings, all over the city, from the airport to across the Lal Chowk and right down to Hazratbal, carry the same message.

For a party that has remained moribund in the State and has only just begun to find its feet, the Congress is pulling all the stops out in its bid to reach out to the people of the State. Its leaders point out that the very fact that the party has chosen to bring its entire leadership to the Valley

is being cited as an example of the importance the State and its people have in the Congress scheme of things.

As part of the effort, the party will unveil a special package from the Congress-ruled States. Each of the 15 States represented at the conclave will come out with the special package of measures it has taken or proposes to take, specially designed for Kashmir. ``We may not be in Government at the Centre but this State is central to our beliefs,'' says the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh.

The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, will be spending an additional day in the Valley and the day after the conclave concludes on May 31, she will address a public meeting at Baramullah. The rally incidentally will also be addressed by the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

The two sides appear to be working in synch, at least so far, and Mr. Sayeed will be hosting a lunch in the honour of Ms. Gandhi on May 31.

The two-day conclave promises to be a businesslike affair. It will start with Ms. Gandhi's inaugural address tomorrow. A working dinner has been organised for the first day. The last day will be a gruelling affair, as the session will start at 8.15 a.m. in the morning and carry on till late at night.

However, some time has been kept apart for Ms. Gandhi to meet party workers and leaders. The AICC general secretary in-charge of the Congress president's office, Ambika Soni, told newspersons that several requests had been received from professional groups in the Valley for a meeting with Ms. Gandhi.

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