Onus of dialogue on J&K lies with Centre, says Gupkar alliance

There has to be credible agenda, says bloc

CPI(M) leader and Gupkar alliance spokesman M.Y. Tarigami on Saturday said the onus of engagement and dialogue lay with the Centre and there had to be a credible agenda for it. “Have we [J&K parties], together or separately, ever obstructed any dialogue since August 5, 2019 [when the Centre ended the special status]? In fact, on August 4, 2019, we appealed to the Prime Minister to provide us a chance to be heard but instead the leaders were placed in preventive custody. The onus of engagement and dialogue now lies with the government of India,” Mr. Tarigami said, in an interview to The Hindu. Mr. Tarigami, who is also a spokesman for the amalgam of five political parties, said no one had approached the group so far. “J&K has seen a major assault without consulting its political class, civil society, traders, etc. We remain a deprived lot,” he added.