Jammu: Congress, National Conference, and PDP workers on Tuesday hit the streets here, demanding athe restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The protests were held on the sixth anniversary of the revocation of the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370, and its bifurcation into two Union Territories.
The three parties, along with Jammu-based All Parties United Morcha (APUM) - a group of various social and political parties -, observed August 5 as a “black day” in a denunciation of the downgrading of the state in 2019.
Pradesh Congress Committee working president Raman Bhalla, along with former minister Lal Singh and Taranjit Singh Tony, used a crane to garland the statue of the last Dogra ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, at Tawi bridge in the heart of the city.
“Today’s black day protest is part of our intensified campaign under ‘Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq’ to seek restoration of pride and glory of this historic Dogra state, which was destroyed by the BJP on August 5, 2019,” Bhalla told reporters while leading the protest.
The party’s J-K chief spokesperson, Ravinder Sharma, said the BJP undermined the democratically elected government and is running the affairs through a “remote control” from Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s office.
“The Assembly elections were held on the directions of the Supreme Court last year, but the popular government is not allowed to work. They have lost the elections but are still running the
government through the L-G office, and as a result of the dual rule, the people are suffering,” he said.
He said the Supreme Court has directed for restoration of statehood to J&K “as soon as possible,” but even after 10 months of the order, the Centre remains reluctant to restore statehood.
“Our demand for restoration of full-fledged statehood under ‘Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq’ will continue to mobilise support and expose the BJP, ” Sharma said.