Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday accused the Centre of preventing the National Conference from holding a peaceful protest over the demand for the restoration of statehood. He said the restrictions would not weaken the party's resolve and asserted that its campaign for statehood and constitutional rights would continue.
In a post on X, Omar said the party was prevented from reaching Jantar Mantar and holding a peaceful demonstration, but insisted that its voice could not be silenced.
"We were stopped from getting to Jantar Mantar and stopped from protesting peacefully for what is rightfully ours, but we were not silenced. This is only the beginning of our struggle for statehood, our rights, our dignity and everything that was taken away from us," he posted.
Earlier in the day, National Conference leaders gathered in New Delhi to press for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Several leaders claimed they were stopped from reaching the protest venue, but they said the movement for statehood would continue.
National Conference MLA Hasnain Masoodi said the prolonged delay in restoring statehood has created uncertainty. He added that the Centre had made commitments in Parliament and before the Supreme Court, but no concrete steps had followed.
"We waited patiently for more than a year, but nothing has happened. We are here to remind the government of its promise because this uncertainty is not good for the people or the country," Masoodi said.
On Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary said the protest was organised to remind the Centre of its assurance that Jammu and Kashmir's statehood would be restored after the Assembly elections.
He said the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister had publicly assured people during the 2024 elections that statehood would be restored once the electoral process was over. However, despite waiting for nearly two years, the promise remains unfulfilled, he said.
Choudhary said the National Conference legislators had decided to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar to urge the Centre to honour its commitment.
The National Conference had announced the July 20 protest earlier this month, with party president Farooq Abdullah inviting leaders from different political parties to join the demonstration in support of statehood.
Earlier, on July 10, Omar Abdullah had said the party was denied permission to hold the protest. He had alleged that there were attempts to obstruct the planned demonstration.
The restoration of full statehood has remained one of the National Conference's key demands since Article 370 was revoked in August 2019. The party had invited 52 leaders from various political parties to participate in the protest.
Following the abrogation of Article 370, the Centre reorganised the former state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the abrogation of Article 370. During the proceedings, the Centre informed the court that statehood would be restored at an appropriate time.
Also read: NC stages protest against Centre in Delhi for statehood
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