Jammu to host J&K’s BJP core group meet today

Amid raging debate over Article 35-A that guarantees special rights to J&K’s permanent residents, the BJP high-command has rushed the party’s national vice-president and in-charge J&K affairs Avinash Rai Khanna to Jammu for “taking the state unit on board” regarding the party’s stand over the sensitive issue.
Khanna, a source said, has been deputed to “make the state unit aware about the party’s stand over Article 35-A. He would reach the state’s winter capital on Saturday to hold a meeting with the BJP core group, a party insider said.

The party’s core group comprises deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh, state president Sat Sharma, state general secretaries Ashok Koul, Narinder Singh and Pawan Khajuria, union minister Jitendra Singh, MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, MP Rajya Sabha, Shamsher Singh Manhas, Avinash Rai Khanna and Ram Madhav.
Meanwhile, Narinder Singh said the party’s national general secretary and chief architect of BJP-PDP alliance, Ram Madhav, is also likely to visit Jammu in this regard.
“However, there is no official confirmation of Madhav’s visit as of now,” Singh said.

The core group meeting will be held at BJP’s Trikuta Nagar office at 4 pm.
“The party high command has deputed Khanna to convey to the state unit the party’s stand which is reportedly in favor of abrogation of the provision,” the source said.
He said apart from core group, Khanna will also meet some senior leaders of the party and RSS to discuss the issue and its possible fallout.
The party on Friday held series of meetings till late evening here to discuss the recent developments pertaining to Article 35-A.