Jammu, July 12: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday announced a fresh phase of agitation for the restoration of statehood, declaring that the National Conference will hold a protest in New Delhi on July 20 against what he described as the unexplained and continued delay by the Centre in fulfilling its promise to the people of the Union Territory.
Addressing a public rally in Jammu, Abdullah said the National Conference had shown patience for nearly two years after the Assembly elections, hoping that the Central Government would honour its repeated assurances on restoration of statehood. He said the party had pursued the matter through dialogue, democratic institutions and peaceful political engagement, but the absence of any clear timeline had now compelled it to adopt a new course of action.
“We have given the Central Government enough time. For nearly two years, we pursued talks for the restoration of statehood. Now we will adopt a new strategy,” Abdullah said.
Questioning the Centre’s repeated references to restoring statehood at an “appropriate time”, the Chief Minister asked what that phrase actually meant and whether it was being used to delay the matter indefinitely. He also questioned whether the appropriate time, in the BJP’s understanding, would arrive only if the party came to power in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting sharply to criticism from BJP leaders over the proposed Jantar Mantar protest, Abdullah said the demand for statehood was being raised in the national capital because decisions concerning Jammu and Kashmir are taken there.
“The BJP leaders are making statements against our Jantar Mantar protest and saying that we will not get statehood by doing this protest. If not in Delhi, then where?” he asked.
He added that if matters concerning a part of India could not be raised in India’s own national capital, then the criticism of the protest had no democratic basis.
“If decisions concerning a part of our own country cannot be taken in our own national capital, where are they supposed to be taken?” he said.
Abdullah accused the BJP of objecting to every democratic method adopted by the National Conference for pressing the statehood demand. He said the party had raised the issue within Jammu and Kashmir, in the Assembly and through political outreach, but each time, its efforts were dismissed or criticised.
“So what do they expect us to do? Should we go to America and protest outside the White House to seek Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood? We are only asking for a promise made in our own country to be honoured in our own country’s capital,” he remarked.
The Chief Minister alleged that statehood had been reduced to a political tool rather than being treated as a constitutional and democratic commitment. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir were not asking for a favour, but for the restoration of what had been publicly promised to them.
“If it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise made on the soil of Katra, then it should be honoured,” Abdullah said, referring to the Prime Minister’s earlier assurance on restoration of statehood.
He also cited the Supreme Court’s observation that statehood should be restored “as soon as possible” after the completion of the electoral process. Abdullah said the demand was not merely a partisan position of the National Conference, but had wider constitutional and democratic backing.
“Those are not my words. They are the words of the Supreme Court,” he said.
The Chief Minister accused the Centre of punishing the people of Jammu and Kashmir by withholding statehood despite their sacrifices and contribution to the nation. Referring specifically to Jammu, he said the region had always stood with the country in times of difficulty.
“The people of Jammu stood with the nation whenever the country faced challenges. Border districts bore the brunt of shelling, and Jammu opened its doors to those displaced by militancy. What crime have the people committed that they continue to be denied statehood?” Abdullah asked.
Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Abdullah said that during the violence following Partition, Jammu and Kashmir had been described as a symbol of communal harmony. He questioned whether the region was now being penalised despite upholding the ideals of Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity and national integration.
Abdullah said the National Conference would continue its struggle through democratic, peaceful and constitutional means until Jammu and Kashmir regains full statehood. He said the July 20 protest in Delhi would mark the beginning of a renewed agitation to remind the country’s leadership of its commitments.
“We will continue knocking on the doors of our own nation’s capital. We will continue reminding the country’s leadership of the promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We only ask that those promises be honoured,” he said.
The Chief Minister, who travelled to Jammu by road after leaving Srinagar early in the morning, said he had come to seek public support for the proposed protest in Delhi. He said the decision to take the agitation to the national capital had been taken after dialogue failed to produce results.
“We were forced to come on the roads after the talks failed. The July 20 protest will be the start of our agitation in support of the demand,” Abdullah said, as the gathering raised hands in support of the statehood campaign.