BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav on Saturday said the Centre has appointed former IB director Dineshwar Sharma to hold dialogues with all stakeholders in Kashmir because Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who announced to hold talks during his last visit to the state, cannot separately meet all those interested to talk.
''The Government of India has therefore appointed an interlocutor so that he meets all those who are interested in talks,'' Madhav, who arrived in Srinagar on Saturday evening to attend the first ever BJP working committee meeting in Srinagar, said.
Asked if Sharma will meet the Hurriyat Conference leaders, Madhav said, ''That you will have to ask the Hurriyat Conference''. '' He (Sharma) has the mandate to talks to all the people and groups,'' he added.
On Congress leader P. Chidambaram's support for autonomy for Kashmir, he asked why the Congress didn't give autonomy to the state when the party was in power. “What the people of Kashmir and entire India is facing today is a result of Congress' policies on Kashmir,'' the BJP general secretary said.
He said the government needs the advise of Congress. ''We will consult the people of Kashmir and do whatever is in the interest of people of the state,'' he added.
There is, however, little excitement about the appointment of an interlocutor for Kashmir by the Centre. The move has failed to instill hope in people.
Many observers believe that appointment of Sharma is only to create an impression of talks after the Army crushed last year's uprising in the state.
