SRINAGAR : Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister and senior National Conference leader Surinder Choudhary on Monday said the party’s upcoming protest in Delhi demanding restoration of statehood would represent the collective aspirations of the people and remind the Centre of its commitments.
Addressing a party meeting at Gandhi Nagar in Jammu, Choudhary said the continued delay in restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir had affected governance and restricted the functioning of the elected government.
“The Prime Minister and the Home Minister had promised both inside and outside Parliament that full statehood would be restored. However, nearly two years after the elected government assumed office, that promise remains unfulfilled,” Choudhary said.
He said the delay was not linked to the performance of the elected government but amounted to disregarding the mandate of people who participated in the democratic process.
“This is an affront to the collective will of the people. Denying statehood means denying people their democratic rights,” he added.
Referring to the developments after 2019, Choudhary said the Union Government had projected that Jammu and Kashmir would be brought at par with other states and Union Territories.
“While other regions have empowered governments, Jammu and Kashmir continues to face differential treatment,” he said.
The meeting was chaired by National Conference Provincial President Rattan Lal Gupta, who said the party’s Jammu unit would actively participate in the Delhi protest to press for restoration of full statehood.
Gupta said party workers across Jammu Province were prepared to highlight what he termed as the Centre’s unfulfilled commitment. He also announced that the death anniversary of Madar-e-Meharban Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah would be observed at Maharaja Hari Singh Park on the banks of River Tawi in Jammu.
He said the programme would be addressed by National Conference Vice President and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Ramban MLA Arjun Singh Raju also extended support to the party leadership’s decision regarding the public meeting in Jammu and the Delhi protest, assuring full participation.
Several senior party leaders and office-bearers, including Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, Dr Chaman Lal Bhagat, Bimla Luthra, Tejinder Pal Singh, Rajni Devi, Pardeep Bali and others attended the meeting.
