NC asks Centre when Jammu and Kashmir statehood will be restored

The National Conference demanded the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood on the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, questioning the Centre over its unfulfilled promise. Congress backed the demand as protests were held in Parliament and Jammu

New Delhi: The National Conference (NC) on Wednesday sought to know from the Centre “the right time” to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, saying the promise made after the completion of delimitation and Assembly elections remained unfulfilled.

The remarks by NC Rajya Sabha MP Shammi Oberoi came on the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.

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Talking to reporters after a protest march in the Parliament House complex, which was also joined by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Oberoi said August 5 marked the day the erstwhile state was reorganised into a Union Territory and urged the Centre to honour its commitment.

“We have come here to demand the restoration of our special status and statehood. You had said delimitation would take place, followed by elections, and then statehood would be granted. What happened to your promise? Please fulfil your promise,” he said.

NC Rajya Sabha MP Chaudhary Ramzan said it had been seven years since Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights and statehood were taken away and nearly two years since the Assembly elections were held, yet there was no indication that statehood would be restored.

“Whenever we raise this issue, the response is that statehood will be restored at the appropriate time. What is the right time? We do not know when the right time is,” Ramzan said.

He said the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister had assured Parliament that statehood would be restored after delimitation and elections. He also referred to the Centre’s assurance before the Supreme Court and urged it to restore both statehood and the constitutional rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera also backed the demand, saying the people of Jammu and Kashmir wanted their rights restored.

“While statehood is certainly required, constitutional rights regarding land, jobs and access to opportunities and resources must also be restored. This is the demand of the united Opposition,” he said.

The National Conference and the Congress also held separate protest rallies in Jammu, observing the anniversary of the August 5, 2019, decision and demanding the restoration of statehood and constitutional safeguards over land, jobs and other rights.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the Centre’s promise to restore statehood remained unfulfilled seven years after the abrogation of Article 370.

“Our wounds have not yet healed. We had hoped that the promise of restoring statehood would be fulfilled. But seven years since August 5, 2019, that promise remains unfulfilled,” Abdullah said.

The BJP-led Central government abrogated Article 370 on August 5, 2019, revoking the special constitutional status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating it into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The National Conference has consistently sought the restoration of statehood, maintaining that the assurances made by the Centre after delimitation and Assembly elections are yet to be honoured.