Srinagar, Jul 20: Stating that the Centre had “forced” the National Conference (NC) to take its battle for statehood to the national capital, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday led a massive protest in Delhi amid claims that the party would first fight for statehood and then an Assembly resolution seeking restoration of “special status”.
The Chief Minister also said that if the BJP clarifies it won’t respect the Supreme Court ruling on statehood, the NC would accordingly chalk out its future course of action.
In a symbolic show of political resolve, Omar was joined by his two sons, Zahir Abdullah and Zamir Abdullah, as hundreds of National Conference leaders, legislators and workers gathered under the banner of “Restore Statehood, Restore Democracy” in Delhi amid intense humid conditions. The Chief Minister wore a black T-shirt carrying the slogans “Restore Statehood” and “Restore J&K’s Dignity”, while party workers raised slogans demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional and democratic rights.
Addressing the gathering and later speaking to reporters, Omar said the protest was not a political spectacle but a reminder to the Central Government to honour the commitments it had made before Parliament and the Supreme Court.
“The Central government has forced us to come to Delhi and protest. For the last two and a quarter years, we have only been reminding them to fulfil the promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in Parliament and before the Supreme Court. We waited patiently, but nothing moved,” he said.
The CM said the National Conference had consistently pursued the issue through democratic means and had hoped the Centre would voluntarily fulfil its commitment.
“We did not want to agitate. We expected the Government of India to keep its word. But when promises remain unfulfilled despite repeated reminders, we have no option but to raise our voice democratically,” he said.
Abdullah reiterated that while the party remained committed to seeking the restoration of J&K’s constitutional rights, its immediate focus was the restoration of statehood.
“In the first Assembly session, we passed a resolution on Jammu and Kashmir’s special position, special status and constitutional rights. We are not abandoning that agenda. But our immediate priority is statehood because only after that can we effectively pursue the other issues,” he said.
“The purpose of today’s protest is to remind the Central Government of its promise. Everything will start from there—first statehood, then the resolution passed by the Assembly,” he added.
The protest witnessed the participation of senior National Conference leaders, Cabinet ministers, MLAs, MPs and hundreds of party workers from Jammu and Kashmir. Demonstrators carried placards demanding the restoration of statehood and full democratic rights while raising slogans against what they described as the Centre’s continued delay despite repeated assurances.
Political observers viewed the demonstration as one of the National Conference’s strongest public assertions since assuming office, with the party seeking to build pressure on the Union Government over what it calls an unfulfilled constitutional commitment. The protest also marked a rare occasion where the Chief Minister personally led a street demonstration while boarding an auto-rikshaw along with his two sons in the national capital, signalling that the demand for statehood would remain at the centre of the party’s political campaign until the promise is fulfilled.
