HVK Archives: Farooq gets a rude shock in Jammu
Farooq gets a rude shock in Jammu - The Indian Express
Express News Service
()
28 April 1997
Title : Farooq gets a rude shock in Jammu
Author : Express News Service
Publication : The Indian Express
Date : April 28, 1997
Kashmiri migrants today raised slogans against Jammu and Kashmir
Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah when Prime Minister I K Gujral
was visiting their camps at Nagrota near here.
The sloganeering took place during the first ever visit of a Prime
Minister to migrant camps during the last seven years of turmoil in
the valley. The migrants raised slogans against the Chief Minister
not only during his speech but also when Gujral appreciated Dr
Abdullah for being fully aware of the problems of the people of the
state.
Addressing the migrants, the Prime Minister assured them of
assistance from the Centre for their return and rehabilitation in
the Kashmir valley with honour and dignity. He asked the people to
remain vigilant against the evil designs of anti-national elements
and appealed to them to maintain communal harmony at all costs.
Gujral said India does not belong to any particular community but
to all its citizens. He said that during 1971 war with Pakistan,
the people of the country stood like a rock and faced the challenge
bravely. The Prime Minister said those trying to divide the people
of Jammu and Kashmir in the name of religion would not succeed.
"We have made great sacrifices during the last seven years for
maintaining the unity and integrity of the country," he added.
Gujral's visit to the state assumes significance as it was not only
his first visit outside the Union capital after assuming office as
Prime Minister six days ago, but also the first ever visit by a
Prime Minister to Kashmiri migrants' camps during the last seven
years.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda visited Jammu and Kashmir four
times during his period in office but he did not visit migrants
camps in Jammu. His predecessor, P V Narasimha Rao, visited the
state only once in his five-year term in office to address a public
meeting here. He did not visit the migrant camps either.
Earlier, when Abdullah stood up to address the migrants, they
started raising slogans against him. At this, Farooq said he wag
not in favour of sending the migrants to valley under pressure but
he would not allow anyone to divide the state on the basis of
religion. He aid that two state ministers have been asked to look
into the problems and solve them at the earliest.
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