Chidambaram seeks informed debate on J&K interlocutors report

Seeking an informed debate on the Jammu and Kashmir interlocutors report, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said the Government will take a view on it including the recommendation on setting up of a Constitutional Committee at a later stage.

"The Government has not taken a view," he told his monthly press conference to a question whether the Government will accept the interlocutors recommendations for setting up a Constitutional Committee to review all the Central Acts and Articles of the Constitution extended to the state.

He said it was not appropriate for him to express his personal views on the issue when the Government was yet to consider it.

Chidambaram expressed the hope that an informed debate will take place on the report which should include the political parties.

"Each one of us is a prisoner of the past. We should release ourselves from the past and genuinely participate in the debate. When the debate takes place, I am sure, different view be expressed on the proposal to constitute a Constitutional Committee and let us look at the pros and cons of the report," he said.

Asked whether it would be a structured debate, the Home Minister said the interlocutors have offered to act as resource persons to facilitate the debate.

"So I think over the next couple of months there will be a few workshops around the country where the interlocutors will be available as resource persons," he said.

Chidambaram also said at a later stage an all party meeting may be called to discuss the report.

"It is also my view that at some point of time we should call the all party meeting which gave rise to the appointment of the interlocutors... Meanwhile, I think the political parties will also discuss the report and come up with their views," he said.

"This is an important matter and I think we should approach it with a great degree of seriousness so that there is a genuine and informed debate on the subject," the Home Minister added.

The report by the interlocutors--Dileep Padgaonkar, Radha Kumar and MM Ansari--which was made public on May 24, has favoured setting up a Constitutional Committee to review all Central Acts and Articles of the Constitution of India to the state extended after 1952.