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BJP claims double victory in Amarnath row settleme

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
September 01, 2008 22:28 IST
Arun Jaitley, general secretary, of the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed "a moral victory" with the government finally accepting the formula suggested by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"This tells us how to conduct our campaigns. We have achieved a double victory both in the Sri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti on one side and Ram Sethu on the other," Jaitley told media-persons at a gathering in New Delhi on Monday evening.

Jaitley was of the view that the solution was possible because of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who first found the solution and then passed it on to the leaders in the valley to test the waters. Once the acid test was passed, then the whole thing was given a proper shape and the acceptance of the Sangarsh Samiti was sought, who gave it their approval and the proposal was announced.

Leaders in the valley felt that it was People's Democratic Party which was out to play mischief and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was part of the this mischief.  

"He was bound by the Jammu and Kashmir high court. The best course was for him to resign which he did," a senior government official, speaking about Ghulam Nabi Azad, told rediff.com.

According to sources when the prime minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi found that the Home minister, Shivraj Patil, was struggling with the Amarnath problem, it was felt that an expert like Dr Mukheejee should be given this responsibility.

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

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