In Kashmir Valley,Rahul Gandhi ducks AFSPA

“It is a discussion between the chief minister and the prime minister. It is not appropriate for me to make a statement,” Rahul told reporters on the sidelines of a function to launch Umeed,a Rs 900 crore skill development programme for rural women.

On whether he would be the Congress’s prime ministerial candidate in the next election,Rahul said,“This you have to ask the Congress. I have my job cut out.”

Rahul arrived in Srinagar — he abandoned his visit to Doda and Kishtwar because of bad weather — accompanied by ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jairam Ramesh and went straight to the Congress headquarters to meet party leaders. He then drove to Budgam to launch Umeed.

“We are with you. The whole nation is with you,” Rahul told a gathering of women. “I have been all along asking bureaucrats what poverty is. But a woman from Uttar Pradesh answered me. She said ‘when you don’t have self confidence,you are poor; when you get the self confidence you are no longer poor’. It is up to you. No government,no bureaucrat can give this to you. And the day you get it,development would be very easy.”

Rahul said he was satisfied with the functioning of the Omar Abdullah government,in which his Congress is a partner.

“I am quite proud of the work we are doing in Jammu and Kashmir. Both state and central governments are working together. The focus from my perspective is empowerment of people and as far as political aspect is concerned,it is empowerment of Panchayats and devolution of power,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion,Omar hailed the efforts of Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh in convincing the central government to launch Umeed in J&K. “This was launched earlier in four blocks only. From the core of my heart I thank Jairam Rameshji. He fought with the centre for our rights,” he said. “It is not easy to get money from the centre.”