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Azad reiterates demand for special RS session

Shireen in Hyderabad

Congress Working Committee member and AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad today reiterated his party's demand for a special session of the Rajya Sabha to discuss the Kargil issue.

Speaking to newsmen in Hyderabad, Azad ridiculed the BJP government for calling a meeting of chief ministers on July 7 to take a final decision on the matter. "It (the special session) is the prerogative of Parliament. The chief ministers have nothing to do it. Chief ministers are only concerned with their respective assemblies. It is for the first time that a prime minister is consulting chief ministers on convening a session of Rajya Sabha. It is ridiculous and childish and shows the total inexperience of the present government," he said.

However, he said the government had every right to convene a meeting of chief ministers if the purpose was only to apprise them of the present situation in Kargil.

Azad said the Vajpayee government should not entertain any apprehensions over convening the special session. ''It will not only help the government, but also the country in fighting the enemy. The discussion in Rajya Sabha will boost the morale of the army. The Congress, as a responsible party, will discuss the issue without any prejudice in the House,'' he said.

The CWC member said he visited the Kargil-Batalik-Drass sector recently and found ''the morale of our forces very high. Even though they are operating in extremely hostile conditions, our soldiers are valiantly fighting the enemy. The people in the border villages are lending their helping hand to the army personnel by voluntarily carrying food, water and ammunition to forward positions."

The Kargil Crisis

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