NC awaiting nod for July 20 statehood protest at Jantar Mantar: CM Omar
Srinagar, Jul 10: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said the National Conference (NC) was still awaiting permission from the Delhi authorities to hold its proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on July 20, alleging that attempts were being made to derail the party's campaign for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. The proposed sit-in protest is scheduled to coincide with the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon Session and is being projected by the ruling NC as a major political mobilisation to press the Centre to fulfil its commitment to restore statehood to the Union Territory. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function, CM Omar said the party had applied for permission several days ago but was yet to receive approval. "On July 20, a programme is to take place, if we get permission for it. We are trying to get the permission," he said. Without naming anyone, CM Omar alleged that certain elements were attempting to frustrate the NC's plans. "We have been trying for four-five days. Some people are engaged in sabotaging our programme. They have changed their dates and matched them with our dates," he said. Referring to another organisation's protest, the CM said that while permission had reportedly been granted to it within 24 hours, the NC had been waiting for four to five days for approval. The protest forms part of the NC's intensified campaign seeking restoration of J&K's statehood, which was revoked after the erstwhile state was reorganised into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in August 2019. The Centre has repeatedly maintained that statehood would be restored at an appropriate time after the completion of the democratic process, a position it has also conveyed before the Supreme Court during hearings on petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370. In an effort to build a broad political consensus, the NC has invited 52 political and religious leaders from across the country to participate in the July 20 demonstration. The invitees include Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, NCP (Sharad Pawar) President Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder C Joseph Vijay, CPI leader D Raja and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal. From J&K, invitations have been extended to Democratic Progressive Azad Party Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, BJP's J&K President Sat Sharma, Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari, People's Conference Chairman Sajjad Lone, J&K Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra, CPI(M) leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami, Awami Ittehad Party President and MP Engineer Rashid, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Grand Mufti Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam, among others. The outreach across party lines comes days after the National Conference convened a meeting of civil society representatives in Srinagar, where more than 150 representatives unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to restore Jammu and Kashmir's statehood without further delay. The party has maintained that the issue transcends political affiliations and concerns the democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Related stories
Initiative launched in Periyar Tiger Reserve for managing invasive African catfish
CPI, Congress lock horns over Aranmula airport project
