Oppn pushes plan for conclave on Kashmir

Sharad meets Manmohan; Abdullah reaches out to CPI

A SERIES of meetings between Opposition leaders to plan a conclave on Kashmir, as also to look for a political solution, has picked up pace in Delhi.

On Wednesday, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav met former Prime Ministermanmohansinghforthe second time in recent days to discuss the proposed conclave. A date for the conclave is likely to be decided after a meeting between Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

In the half-hour meeting, Yadavislearnttohaveaskedsingh aboutworkbeingdonebythepolicy-planning group of the Congress on Jammu and Kashmir —theformerpmheadsthegroup.

Intheevening,bjp’syashwant Sinhavisitedyadav’sresidencefor the third time to chalk out plans.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference MP from Srinagar, Farooq Abdullah, met CPI national secretary D Raja today and called for a "political solution" to Kashmir.abdullahhadhaddiscussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on the issue on Tuesday.

Post-meeting, Yechury said, “The government’s Kashmir policy has been a total failure .... The Modi government should immediately begin a political dialogue with all sections of political opinion in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Sharad Yadav had also held discussionswithyechuryandraja in the last two days.

Sources said that once the Congress president gets well — Soniawasadmittedinhospitalfor food poisoning — Manmohan Singh, who has already discussed theissuewithpartyvice-president Rahul Gandhi and J&K Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, will meet her and apprise her of the discussions held among Opposition leaders so far on Kashmir.

Sourcesintheoppositionsaid a meeting of all parties could be convened in the coming days to formulate a common position on the Kashmir issue.