New Delhi, July 20, KNT: Escalating its campaign for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the ruling National Conference (NC) on Monday staged a protest in the national capital, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accusing the Centre of reneging on commitments made before Parliament and the Supreme Court while alleging that peaceful democratic dissent was being stifled.
The demonstration, held on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, saw Omar Abdullah, party president Dr Farooq Abdullah, senior National Conference leaders, legislators and workers gather in Delhi to press for the restoration of statehood, nearly seven years after the erstwhile state was reorganized into two Union Territories in August 2019.
Addressing party workers and supporters, Omar Abdullah said the National Conference had come to the national capital only to seek the fulfilment of promises repeatedly made by the Union Government.
“We have come to our national capital to demand our rights. Unfortunately, they are not allowing us to protest peacefully. Democracy is being strangled,” Omar said while alleging that restrictions were imposed on the party’s peaceful demonstration.
Claiming that police resorted to the use of tear gas against protesters, Omar said the party had intended to conduct a peaceful protest but was prevented from doing so.
“We wanted to protest peacefully, but they made us a target of tear gas. Democracy is being strangled,” he said.
The Chief Minister maintained that the protest was aimed at reminding the Centre of the assurance given both on the floor of Parliament and before the Supreme Court that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be restored after the Assembly elections.
“The Supreme Court had directed the Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. If they do not want to adhere to the Supreme Court’s directions, they should say so openly—that they will not restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. We will then decide our course of action,” Omar asserted.
He said the National Conference had exercised patience for nearly two years but had now decided to intensify its democratic campaign because no concrete timeline for restoring statehood had been announced. Omar reiterated that restoration of statehood remains his government’s foremost political priority and said the movement would continue until the promise is fulfilled.
Earlier in the day, Omar Abdullah travelled part of the distance to the protest venue in an auto-rickshaw after traffic restrictions near Jantar Mantar disrupted vehicular movement, a gesture that quickly drew public attention and became one of the defining images of the day’s protest.
The National Conference has maintained that its demand is based on repeated assurances given by the Union Government. Party leaders contend that the restoration of statehood was promised during parliamentary proceedings and was also conveyed to the Supreme Court during hearings related to the constitutional changes of August 2019.
The protest marks a new phase in the NC’s political campaign, which began earlier this month with public rallies in Jammu and Srinagar before being taken to the national capital on the first day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session. Omar Abdullah had earlier declared that “enough is enough,” saying the Centre had been given adequate time to honour its commitment and that the party would now adopt a more assertive democratic approach.
The statehood campaign, however, has exposed political differences within Jammu and Kashmir. While the Congress and CPI(M) extended support to the demand, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), People’s Conference (PC) and some other regional players stayed away, arguing that the movement should also include demands relating to Article 370 and other constitutional issues.
Political analysts view Monday’s demonstration as the most significant mobilization by the National Conference on the statehood issue since it assumed office. Whether the Centre responds with a concrete roadmap remains to be seen, but the protest has ensured that the question of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status has once again moved to the centre of the national political discourse. [KNT]
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