With an aim to find a possible solution to the prolonged Kashmir unrest, the all-party delegation headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh left for Srinagar on Sunday morning.
During the two-day visit, the MPs will interact with Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, and will also be holding meetings with representatives of all political parties and other delegations in Srinagar to bring peace in the Valley.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Saugata Roy, before the departure, said, "It is a good step for ensuring normalcy in the Kashmir Valley. I hope this will pave the way for improving the situation there. Yesterday, in the all party meeting everyone suggested that we should talk to everyone, including the Hurriyat. Therefore, it is a good thing that Mehbooba Mufti has invited them."
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on his part said that he hopes that the all-party delegation would be able to find solution to the Kashmir issue.
"I hope we will be able to find solutions; our delegation will be beneficial for Kashmir and for the country. Of course we won't be able to take decisions on the spot but it will be an opportunity for parties and Kashmiri people to interact. I appeal to all the party, be it mainstream or non-mainstream, to come forward and talk so that things are brought to some solution," Azad told ANI.
Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan asserted that they are going with an open mind and are ready to talk on anything that is within the framework of the Constitution.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told ANI that they would try and talk to all the stakeholders and try to restore normalcy and stop all this senseless killing.
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"It is very late we wanted this to happen two months ago. Let's hope that even now we will be able to make some difference," he said.
Biswajit Daimary, Bodoland People's Front leader, said that they would today be meeting people at the ground level in the Valley.
"After our visit, I am sure we will find some way to bring normalcy into the Valley," he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti yesterday invited Hurriyat leaders for talks with the all-party delegation.
This came after the opposition parties suggested the government to invite the Hurriyat Conference for talks.
Rajnath said the Centre would take a final decision with regard to Kashmir unrest on the basis of feedback and suggestions given by the all party-delegation.
The delegation was made aware of the prevailing situation in the state and contours of the tour during which they will hold talks with a cross-section of people.
Apart from the Home Minister and Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh, those who will be part of the all-party delegation include Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, his Lok Sabha colleague Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Congress leader Ambika Soni, Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP), JD-U leader Sharad Yadav, Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja.
NCP's Tariq Anwar and Saugata Roy, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut and Anandrao Adsul, TDP's Thota Narasimham, Shiromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandumajra, BJD's Dilip Tirkey, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, AIUDF's Badaruddin Ajmal and Muslim League's E Ahamed will be part of the delegation.
TRS' Jitendra Reddy, N K Premchandran (RSP), P Venugopal (AIADMK), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Y B Subba (YSR-Cong), Jaiprakash Yadav (RJD), Dharamveer Gandhi (AAP) and Dushyant Chautala (RLD) are also in the team..
The valley is facing unrest due to protests in the aftermath of the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8 amid which over 70 people have lost their lives and thousands others have been injured.