New Delhi, July 20: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the Centre had “forced” the National Conference to stage a protest in Delhi by failing to fulfil its promise of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters at the protest site, Abdullah said his party had been consistently reminding the Centre over the past two years about its commitment to restore statehood.
“We were forced to protest in Delhi for statehood by the Centre. We have been continuously reminding the Centre of their promises for the past two years. We asked them to fulfil the promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and before the Supreme Court,” he said.
Abdullah said the National Conference had made restoration of statehood and the constitutional rights of Jammu and Kashmir its core agenda and would not deviate from it.
“We had passed a special resolution in the Assembly on the very first day demanding statehood and the restoration of the special position, special status and constitutional rights promised to us. We won’t leave our agenda,” he said.
Describing the protest as the beginning of a sustained campaign, the Chief Minister said it was meant to remind the Centre of its commitments.
“We have staged this protest to remind the Centre of their promises. Everything will start from here. First statehood and then the restoration of special status,” Abdullah asserted.
The National Conference leaders held the protest in the national capital, reiterating their demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, which was revoked after the erstwhile state was reorganised into two Union Territories in August 2019.
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