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NEW DELHI: With just a week to go for transfer of power in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress leadership continued the process of consultation, with party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meeting senior party leaders here on Monday.

For nearly two hours, Ms. Gandhi and Dr. Singh heard the views of leaders who reviewed the performance of the three-year-old People's Democratic Party-led coalition Government, the areas of achievements, progress and delivery on promises made by the alliance and the challenges ahead.

The two leaders heard views of Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, Urban Development Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, senior leaders A.K. Antony, M.L. Fotedar and Saifuddin Soz, Karan Singh and general secretary Ambika Soni, in-charge of party affairs of the State.

"Frank discussions"

"The discussions were free and frank and the scenario in the State since 2002 was reviewed. The achievements of the Government, the policy of healing touch that the coalition has been able to address and the sense of alienation among the people was talked of,'' Ms. Soni told correspondents.

She said the Congress president would consult others, including Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma and Pradesh Congress chief Perzada Mohammed Sayeed, to ascertain the views of the State Congress. There is a strong view in the State that the Congress should take its turn to lead the coalition under the 2002 pact that gave the PDP first shot to head the Government for three years.

The Congress insisted that Ms. Gandhi was holding consultations and any decision she made would be acceptable to all party members irrespective of their individual views on the issue. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma emphasised that there was no pressure from its ally, the PDP. "We value the alliance with the PDP and have complete understanding and [our relationship] will endure.''

He said the exercise being undertaken by the Congress president was neither a review of the decision made three years ago nor was the party having second thoughts but it was a process of consultation.

Asked to comment on reports that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had told Ms. Gandhi on Sunday that his laying down of the post could have security implications, Ms. Soni said nothing of that sort was reported by Mr. Mukherjee, who was present during the meeting. She said there had been no offer in the form of a short extension of tenure to the Mufti, his term expiring on November 2.

Prior to the meeting, the Mufti called on Dr. Singh and briefed him about the latest situation as also the relief work being undertaken by the Government in the quake-hit region.

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