BJP joins chorus says will protest for restoration of statehood to J&K

RAOUF DAR

Srinagar: Bhartiya Janta Party Saturday said they would protest after August 5 for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

On August 5, the Narendra Modi-led government revoked the Article 370, which guaranteed special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Centre also bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Like other parties, the BJP has also joined the chorus seeking statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. “Some people want to divide Jammu and Kashmir but we won’t let that happen. BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav has said that statehood should return to Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP leaders and workers will protest for return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after August 5. We hope the government will consider it,” senior BJP leader from J&K and former MLC Sofi Yusuf told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).

Yusuf said BJP has been strengthening its base in Kashmir. “We are hopeful to win over 20 seats in assembly elections after delimitation,” he added.

Madhav on the question of restoring full statehood to Jammu & Kashmir has said that his party supports it. He said, “BJP’s Jammu & Kashmir unit is of the opinion that statehood should be given back when the time is favourable. We want J&K to be restored to a full state’s status. Home Minister Amit Shah himself said while granting UT status that work would be done to get full statehood back very soon. The Assembly is yet to be constituted and delimitation for UT is pending.”

Other parties like National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Congress, J&K Apni Party have also been demanding return of statehood to J&K.

“It is high time the people of J&K get to decide the laws that will govern them rather than being subjected to the whims and fancies of the centre where orders are issued in the morning and changes to the same order issued in the evening,” National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has said.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has also demanded restoration of statehood followed by assembly elections to J&K during his meeting with Prime Minister Narinder Modi on Friday evening.

Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Altaf Bukhari on Friday demanded that statehood of J&K should be restored on August 5, when it was split last year into two Union Territories. (KINS)