While Delhi witnessed the Sarsoor Janta Party-led ‘Chalo Sansad’ rally on Monday, triggering tight security and traffic restrictions, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah claimed that National Conference leaders were also denied access to Jantar Mantar to demand restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.
Sharing his experience on Program
In a post on X, Abdullah claimed that the protest had been prevented but stressed that it would not weaken the party’s resolve.
“We have been denied access to Jantar Mantar, prevented from peacefully protesting for what is rightfully ours, but we have not been silenced. This is just the beginning of our fight for statehood, our rights, our dignity and all that has been taken from us,” he wrote.
Omar gets in the car
The Prime Minister also shared a video of himself traveling in a rickshaw after his planned walk to the protest venue was disrupted. “My march from Jantar Mantar was about to turn into another procession, so we got the first available transport,” he wrote in the caption accompanying the video.
The National Conference had organized a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding restoration of the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. Party leaders said they faced restrictions while trying to reach the designated protest site but stressed that the campaign for statehood would continue.
The protest coincided with tight security arrangements across central Delhi as thousands of CJP supporters gathered for the ‘Chalo Sansad’ rally organized by the party. Several roads were closed around Jantar Mantar and Parliament, and access to parts of the area remained restricted amid tight security.
Before the demonstration, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Chaudhary said the protest was aimed at reminding the Center of its promise to restore the state.
“During the 2024 elections, both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister had assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that statehood would be restored once the elections were over. However, 21 months have passed. We have been very patient and waited, hoping that the day will come when the Prime Minister and the Home Minister will fulfill the promise they made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Chaudhary told ANI.
Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized into two Union Territories after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Since then, restoration of full statehood has remained one of the key political demands of the National Conference, with the party repeatedly urging the Center to honor its commitment after the Assembly elections.
(With inputs from PTI)
