SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference president and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone on Friday criticised the National Conference (NC) over its proposed protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, alleging that the ruling party had itself voted against his amendment seeking restoration of Article 370, Article 35A and statehood in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly earlier this year.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Lone questioned Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s decision to take the issue of statehood to the national capital without first securing a resolution in the Assembly.
He said his party continues to stand for the restoration of the pre-August 5, 2019 constitutional position of Jammu and Kashmir, including Article 370, Article 35A and full statehood, describing Article 370 as the foremost priority.
Lone alleged that during the discussion on the Lieutenant Governor’s address on February 3, 2025, he had moved an amendment seeking inclusion of demands for restoration of Article 370, Article 35A and statehood, but the amendment was defeated by a voice vote.
He claimed that National Conference legislators voted against the amendment along with BJP members.
“The Assembly remains the constitutional voice of the people despite losing many of its powers. If the government is serious about statehood, it should first convene a special session, pass a resolution and then send an all-party delegation to meet the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Leader of the Opposition,” Lone said.
He said his party would support a protest at Jantar Mantar only if such constitutional avenues failed.
According to Lone, bypassing the Assembly would reduce the issue of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood to a political contest between the BJP and opposition parties at the national level instead of reflecting the aspirations of the people of the Union Territory.
Referring to the events preceding the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Lone recalled that Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah had travelled to Delhi and later assured the public that no constitutional changes were imminent. However, Article 370 was revoked within days.
He questioned why the National Conference had never publicly confronted the Centre over those developments.
Lone also alleged that the proposed protest was aimed at shifting the political discourse away from the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A and focusing only on statehood.
Drawing a parallel with the 1975 political developments in Jammu and Kashmir, he alleged that constitutional safeguards were once again being sidelined in exchange for political power.
The Peoples Conference chief also questioned Omar Abdullah’s recent meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers after announcing the proposed protest, saying the government should disclose what response it had received from the Centre on the demand for statehood before taking the issue to the streets.
He further accused the National Conference of adopting contradictory political positions in its engagement with the BJP-led central government while using anti-BJP rhetoric in public.
Lone also alleged that opposition MLAs from Kashmir had faced administrative hurdles at the behest of NC leaders, while legislators aligned with the ruling party did not encounter similar treatment.
Inviting the public to verify Assembly records, Lone urged people to examine the amendments moved during the debate on the Lieutenant Governor’s address, maintaining that they would find that the National Conference had voted against his proposal seeking restoration of Article 370, Article 35A and statehood.
He also claimed that public protests such as dharnas rarely achieve substantive political outcomes and suggested that the proposed Jantar Mantar protest was intended to divert attention from governance issues in Jammu and Kashmir.
