Srinagar, June 8 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday reached out to constituents of the INDIA alliance for support in its upcoming protest in New Delhi on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, demanding restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the National Conference (NC), Omar raised the issue during the INDIA Bloc meeting held in Delhi and urged alliance partners to join the NC’s proposed protest in the national capital.
The INDIA bloc meeting was also attended by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.
“In the INDIA Bloc meeting held today, Hon’ble CM @OmarAbdullah asked all the participants to join JKNC when we come to Delhi to protest for the restoration of statehood. He also informed them that we would be writing to each of them individually as well,” the NC said in a statement.
The NC Legislature Party on June 3, after a day-long meeting, unanimously resolved to hold a protest in New Delhi on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session to demand the immediate restoration of Jammu & Kashmir’s Statehood and constitutional guarantees. The NC Legislature Party had decided to stage the protest at Jantar Mantar or any other venue finalised later.
The demand for restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees has remained central to the political discourse in Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019, when the BJP-led union government revoked Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into the union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. While the union government has repeatedly assured restoration of statehood at an “appropriate time,” regional parties, including the National Conference, have been pressing for early reinstatement of full statehood along with safeguards for protecting land, jobs and identity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
