Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday took the lead of a National Conference protest in Delhi that sought restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Omar first flew to Jammu and scrutinized the relief and rescue operation taking place after the flash floods, then returned to the national capital and joined his already assembled legislators outside JK House.
Taking to social media platform X, Omar said that they stopped from getting to Jantar Mantar and were stopped from protesting peacefully.
In a post on X, Omar said that they were stopped from getting to Jantar Mantar and “stopped from protesting peacefully for what is rightfully ours, but we were not silenced.”
“We were stopped from getting to Jantar Mantar & stopped from protesting peacefully for what is rightfully ours, but we were not silenced. This is only the beginning of our struggle for statehood, our rights, our dignity, and everything that was taken away from us,” he said.
NC President Farooq Abdullah said NC was “”fighting for full statehood.”
“Today, we are fighting for full statehood, which is a promise made by Prime Minister Modi and the home minister, both in the parliament, before the Supreme Court, and to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We are protesting here today simply to remind them of that commitment and to demand the restoration of complete statehood,” Farooq said while talking to reporters.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said, “It is a matter of misfortune for the people of Jammu and Kashmir that they are forced to stage a protest in Delhi today. We are here to remind the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the promise they made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir—that statehood would be restored post-elections (Assembly), yet the Union government has failed to honor its commitment.”
“This is a promise you must keep. We have traveled to Delhi precisely to demand when that elusive appropriate time will finally come,” he said, talking to reporters.
