Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday promised speedier justice to the victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and appealed for peace in the violence-hit state of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Efforts are being made to provide justice to each and every victim ofSonia Gandhi on Thursday promised speedier the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. It is our duty to see that not a single person affected by the industrial disaster is deprived of adequate justice.”
Sonia Gandhi made these remarks while addressing a meeting of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) in the national capital where she outlined her party’s stand on various issues ranging from Kashmir to the alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games preparations and Nuclear Liability Bill.
Sonia, assuring her Congress colleagues of swift action on the part of the government, said, “I was the first person to address inadequacies in the handling of the Bhopal gas tragedy cases.”
Kashmir
Further, expressing anguish over unrest in the Kashmir Valley, Congress chief underlined the need to reach out to the people of the state, particularly the youth, and said dialogue and mutual understanding were the key to ending the cycle of violence.
"The anger and pain that is manifesting itself, especially among the young, needs to be addressed. They are our very own and their suffering is ours. Dialogue and mutual
understanding were the key to ending the cycle of violence and tragic killings."
"I am anguished at what has been happening there. It is a call to our collective conscience...I feel their grief," she said, expressing her condolences to each family that has lost loved ones. She added that Jammu and Kashmir has a "special place" in the country`s polity and "indeed in our hearts".
Gandhi said a whole generation has grown up "under the shadow of brutality and conflict".
Referring to the recent upsurge in violence, she said the security forces have a difficult task to discharge.
On the Prime Minister`s meeting with the all-party delegation on August 10, she said that the PM has unveiled a blueprint for reconciliation and reconstruction stemming from a sincere and genuine desire to engage the people of the state. “That is and will remain our agenda," she added.
Gandhi also consoled the loss of lives and devastation caused by the flash floods in Leh region of Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress chief also wholeheartedly backed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh`s initiative in this regard.
Naxalism
On the issue of Naxalism, Gandhi underscored the need for taking tribal development seriously. She also said that there was a need to check illegal mining.
On the upcoming elections in Bihar, Gandhi asked party workers to work towards strengthening the organisation in the state.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his Cabinet colleagues and party MPs from both Houses were present in the meeting, which lasted more than half-an-hour.
