The country witnessed a massive strike by the working class across the country on September 2, 2016, the largest ever strike against the impact of the neo-liberal policies. The entire country was brought to a grinding halt. Millions of workers came out on to the streets and blocked the highways and railways to vehemently express their resentment and anger against the BJP government’s anti-worker and anti-people policies.

The all-party parliamentary delegation visited Jammu and Kashmir on September 4 and 5.  The central government agreed to this visit after much delay.  This was the first political step taken in the background of the mass protests which began in the valley nearly two months before.  Though there were no meetings scheduled with the leaders of the Hurriyat, some members of the delegation made an effort to meet some of the Hurriyat leaders.  Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Yadav, D Raja and Jayaprakash Yadav belonging to the CPI(M), JD(U), CPI and RJD respectively met Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik,

The All Party Delegation to Jammu and Kashmir returned to Delhi after spending two days in J&K. Our meetings with all sections of the society in the state helped us get a first-hand understanding of the seriousness of the situation in the Valley. This came two months too late; had this come six weeks ago, several innocent lives that were lost, could have been saved.A few steps to immediately restore confidence amongst the people in the state are essential, to calm tempers and help normalise the situation in the Valley.