After Dachigam strategy meet, JKNC announces Delhi protest for Statehood
CM Omar leads legislators and allies at off-site retreat
Srinagar: The ruling National Conference (NC) on Wednesday announced that its legislators, MPs and alliance partners will stage a protest in New Delhi on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session to press for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and constitutional guarantees.
The decision was taken at a day-long meeting of NC legislators and supporting independents chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at an off-site location in the Dachigam area on the outskirts of Srinagar.
The gathering assumed political significance as it came amid assertions by Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma that the NC-led government was facing internal dissent and could collapse at any time.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said the party’s entire legislative wing, including MPs, MLAs and allies, would participate in the protest.
“The National Conference has decided that on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, our Legislative Party, including MPs, MLAs and allies, will go to Delhi to protest. Our primary demand will be the restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees for Jammu and Kashmir,” Sadiq said.
He said the party leadership believed the time had come to take the issue directly to the national capital.
“It is time for our leadership to go to Delhi, talk to the people there and take back what has been taken away from us,” he added.
The announcement comes at a time when the NC government has been facing increasing political pressure over the restoration of statehood, one of its principal electoral commitments. The issue has also regained momentum following the Centre’s engagement with groups in Ladakh seeking constitutional safeguards and protections for the Union Territory.
Earlier in the day, legislators invited to a meeting at the Chief Minister’s official residence found themselves boarding mini-buses that transported them to the Dachigam area, away from the media spotlight.
The unusual venue arrangement immediately triggered political speculation, particularly because it coincided with opposition claims that several NC legislators were unhappy with the government.
Sharing photographs of legislators travelling together in buses, CM Omar described the gathering as a review exercise aimed at assessing the government’s performance since assuming office.
“We are off for an off-site to spend the day taking stock of the last 19 months — the good, the not so good and everything in between,” Abdullah posted on social media platform X.
As speculation mounted over reports that the venue had been shifted at the last moment, the Chief Minister later clarified that the off-site meeting had been planned in advance.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you but it has NOT been shifted at the last moment. It was always my intention to conduct this meeting off-site and all arrangements had been made days in advance at the location originally chosen by me,” he said.
According to party leaders, the meeting brought together NC legislators, Members of Parliament from both Houses, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami and four independent legislators supporting the government.
The meeting reviewed the government’s functioning over the past 19 months and discussed a range of issues, including development, public welfare, unemployment, drug abuse, the economy and governance challenges across Jammu, Kashmir, PirPanjal and Chenab Valley regions.
However, participants indicated that the restoration of statehood and constitutional safeguards dominated the discussions.
JKNC Spokesman Sadiq described the atmosphere at the meeting as positive and said legislators engaged in detailed deliberations on issues confronting the region.
“There was a review of the progress made by this government. But the most important discussion was on statehood and constitutional guarantees,” he said.
The gathering was also viewed as an attempt by the party leadership to consolidate its ranks amid sustained attacks from the opposition and growing public expectations regarding the fulfilment of promises related to Jammu and Kashmir’s political status.
Notably absent from the meeting was Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, who has publicly voiced differences with the party leadership over its approach to the restoration of special status and constitutional rights.
When questioned about opposition claims regarding internal dissension, Sadiq avoided a direct confrontation but asserted that the party remained united and focused on issues concerning the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting also discussed governance priorities and future political strategy, although party leaders maintained that statehood would remain the central issue in the coming months.
