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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday raked up the controversial autonomy issue and said the Centre would have to consider it seriously as it provided the key to peace in the state.
Abdullah, who was speaking at a function where his son and Minister of State for External Afffairs Omar Abdullah took over the reins of National Conference, said, "We will get autonomy. There will not be peace in the state till you (Centre) do not give autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh."
The autonomy issue had led to a lot of acrimony between the Centre and the J&K government after the state assembly passed a resolution demanding it in June 2000.
The Union Cabinet had rejected the proposal on July four, but later agreed to hold discussions on it.
Abdullah also attacked VHP and said the sermons by 'some of these leaders' were unacceptable in the secular ethos of the country.
"If India is to keep Kashmir with itself, they (VHP) should keep alive all the religions... on the one hand you demolish Babri Masjid and want to win the trust of Muslims, this will not do," a furious Abdullah said.
Advising these leaders, especially VHP's working president Ashok Singhal, to respect all religions, he said, "Lord Ram is not confined to one temple. Hindus believe that he is the God of the world. So what are you fighting for?"
Meanwhile, a political resolution adopted at the National Conference meet said the Centre's 'unilateral and arbitrary' rejection of the autonomy resolution passed by Jammu and Kashmir assembly has sent 'negative signals about the legitimacy of our democratic system'.
"This has emboldened the opponents of our political system to give vent to cynical observations and depressing pronouncements," the resolution said.
It pledged that 'no stone would be left unturned' to get the autonomy resolution implemented to satisfy the 'political and democratic aspirations of the people of the state'.
NC had projected the restoration of autonomy as the main plank in its election manifesto in 1996.
"Our party was elected with a two-third majority. It won majority of seats in all the regions of the state which was a clear assertion of the people that they were unanimous in seeking the restoration of autonomy," it said.
The autonomy resolution was passed in the state legislature after extensive discussions and was forwarded to the Centre, which however, 'rejected it unilaterally and arbitrarily ignoring the wishes and aspirations of the people', it alleged.
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