SRINAGAR: Dozens of Congress leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra and AICC general secretary GA Mir, were detained by police on Sunday after they attempted to march to the Lieutenant Governor’s residence to submit a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu seeking the restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The protest came a day ahead of the National Conference’s planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday on the same demand, with the Congress reiterating that it would continue to intensify its campaign until full Statehood is restored.
Hundreds of Congress workers gathered at Maharaja Hari Singh Park in the heart of Jammu and held a peaceful sit-in, raising slogans in support of Statehood and accusing the Centre of reneging on its promise to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s pre-August 2019 status after the Assembly elections.
After the gathering, the protesters marched towards Lok Bhavan, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor, intending to submit a memorandum for onward transmission to the President of India. However, police erected barricades at Jewel Chowk and prevented the procession from moving ahead.
A brief scuffle broke out when Congress workers attempted to push through the barricades before police detained dozens of activists and senior leaders, including Karra, Mir, working president Raman Bhalla, former ministers, former legislators and other party functionaries.
Addressing reporters before the march, Karra said the Congress had been campaigning for the restoration of Statehood for nearly two years through district-level programmes, hunger strikes and mass campaigns under the slogans “Chalo Srinagar”, “Chalo Jammu” and “Chalo Delhi”.
He said Sunday’s memorandum was meant to convey the people’s aspirations directly to President Droupadi Murmu through the Lieutenant Governor.
Announcing an escalation of the agitation, Karra said the party would soon launch a second phase of district-level programmes and was also considering a long march from Lakhanpur in Kathua to Lolab in north Kashmir to mobilise public opinion in favour of Statehood.
On the National Conference’s protest at Jantar Mantar scheduled for Monday, Karra said he and G A Mir would travel to New Delhi, while the Congress high command would decide which other party leaders would participate.
Karra also urged the Government to announce a comprehensive rehabilitation package for families affected by the recent flash floods in Poonch and Rajouri, saying the calamity had caused extensive damage to lives, homes and public infrastructure.
Mir said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had voted enthusiastically in the Assembly elections after the Prime Minister assured that Statehood would be restored following delimitation and elections.
“Nearly two years have passed, but there is still no indication from the Centre about fulfilling that commitment,” he said.
Mir said the Congress had consistently pursued the “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq” (Our State, Our Right) campaign across Jammu and Kashmir, in New Delhi and inside Parliament, keeping the issue of Statehood alive.
Welcoming Monday’s National Conference protest, he said every platform raising the demand for Statehood deserved support because it represented the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
At the same time, he alleged that the BJP’s decision to organise protests in Srinagar on Monday appeared to be an attempt to dilute or divert attention from the Statehood demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
Former minister G M Saroori said restoration of Statehood was essential to safeguard the democratic rights and constitutional aspirations of the people and asserted that the Congress would continue its peaceful movement until the demand was met.
Working president Raman Bhalla said the Statehood movement had become the voice of every citizen because of the Congress party’s sustained struggle. He accused the BJP of insulting Maharaja Hari Singh by dividing and downgrading the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Former MP Choudhary Lal Singh also pledged to continue the fight for the restoration of Statehood, saying the downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory had been carried out against the wishes of its people.
The Congress demonstration marked another escalation in the political campaign for Statehood, with pressure mounting on the Centre as opposition parties intensify coordinated protests over the issue.
