Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah Lead NC Protest at Jantar Mantar, Press Centre for J&K Statehood Restoration
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Monday led a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights and full statehood. The demonstration was attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, members of the Council of Ministers, MLAs, Members of Parliament, the Chief Minister’s Advisor, the Provincial President of JKNC Kashmir and other senior party leaders. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reminded the Union Government of its repeated commitment to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and urged it to honour that promise without further delay. He also referred to the observations of the Supreme Court, saying that restoring statehood is essential for strengthening democratic institutions and safeguarding the constitutional rights of the people.
The protest was held amid tight security in central Delhi, with National Conference leaders carrying placards and raising slogans in support of restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Omar Abdullah, delayed by heavy traffic restrictions around Jantar Mantar, travelled part of the way in an auto-rickshaw to reach the protest venue.
Following the demonstration, a meeting was held at the Constitution Club of India, presided over by Dr Farooq Abdullah. Leaders from several national political parties participated in the meeting and expressed their support for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The participants unanimously described the restoration of statehood as a constitutional and democratic imperative and urged the Union Government to fulfil its commitment in the interest of the people of the Union Territory.
Speaking on the occasion, MP Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan described the events of 5 August 2019 as a “black day” in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. He alleged that the Centre’s decision to reorganise the erstwhile state into a Union Territory was taken unilaterally and deprived the people of their constitutional rights, identity and statehood. He reaffirmed that the National Conference would continue its peaceful and democratic struggle until the legitimate aspirations of the people are fulfilled.
The National Conference has maintained that the restoration of statehood remains its foremost political demand and has vowed to continue raising the issue both inside and outside Parliament until the Centre takes concrete action.
