- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will lead a protest in Delhi on July 20 for J&K statehood restoration
- National Conference plans protest at Jantar Mantar regardless of Delhi Police permission
- Jammu and Kashmir lost special status and was split into two Union Territories in 2019
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said he will lead a protest in Delhi on July 20 to demand the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the party will go ahead even if the Delhi Police deny permission for the demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The National Conference (NC) has stepped up its campaign for statehood restoration, accusing the Centre of failing to honour repeated assurances on the issue. Jammu and Kashmir lost its special status under Article 370 and was bifurcated into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. In 2023, the Centre told the Supreme Court that statehood would be restored at the earliest after Assembly elections.
The party has said it will hold the protest on the first day of Parliament's monsoon session.
"Regardless of whether permission is granted, we will reach Delhi on July 19 and go ahead with our protest programme on July 20," said Omar Abdullah.
The National Conference has invited INDIA bloc contituents and several non-NDA parties to join the protest at Jantar Mantar on July 20. However, there has been no indication so far whether the Congress and other major opposition parties will participate.
Ahead of the proposed protest, the Congress has sought to raise the political stakes by demanding "Statehood Plus" for Jammu and Kashmir, with former Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifudin Soz seeking internal autonomy for the erstwhile state.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera, who heads the party's media and publicity department, said the party has consistently advocated for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's "snatched rights".
"Omar Abdullah's protest is for statehood. The Congress has been talking about Statehood Plus for the past two years. Statehood Plus means not just statehood, but constitutional guarantees for land and job rights. Statehood alone is not enough," Khera said.
Omar Abullah also said the party's programme would remain unchanged despite the death of his uncle and senior NC leader, Dr Mustafa Kamal, in Srinagar on Tuesday evening.
"There will be no change in our programme. Dr Mustafa Kamal also wanted our snatched rights to be restored," he said.
The Chief Minister said all party leaders and members have been asked to reach Delhi on July 19 and that the party is still awaiting permission for the proposed protest.
Meanwhile, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has written to leaders of the INDIA bloc and several non-NDA parties, urging them to join the statehood protest in Delhi.
