NC says leaders placed under house arrest
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Aug 5: Several opposition parties criticized the BJP on its August 5, 2019 decision, and alleged their leaders have been locked up in their homes to stop them from voicing their concern.
Through protests and rallies, they also demanded that the Statehood be granted to the Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest.
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In a statement, National Conference (NC) said the “blatant suppression” of mainstream democratic activities post August 5, 2019 serves to showcase the administration’s underlying fear and exposes the hollowness of their claims of progress over the past five years.
“The Government has once again unjustly placed our leaders under house arrest. This blatant suppression of mainstream democratic activities only serves to showcase the administration’s underlying fear and exposes the hollowness of their claims of progress over the past five years,” the party said.
“August 5, 2019, remains a stark reminder of the disempowerment of the people of J&K, a process that continues unchecked with the absence of a democratically elected government in the region”.
“The unilateral and undemocratic decisions made on August 5, 2019, are a betrayal of the promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by New Delhi. These decisions are unacceptable to the people of J&K, as demonstrated by the recent parliamentary election results in the region.”
“As far as JKNC is concerned, we will persist in our fight for the restoration of our abridged rights through democratic, legal, and peaceful means. The unjust actions of the government will not deter us from our mission to uphold the rights and freedoms of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
NC vice-president Omar Abdullah took on BJP for chocking dissent over Article 370 abrogation.
Taking to micro-blogging site X (formerly twitter) Omar said: “This is what passes for democracy & free speech in J&K. A handful of BJP “leaders” are encouraged to celebrate today while those who would have registered their protest against what was done to J&K are locked up in homes across the valley”.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti termed the August 5, 2019 as a “dark day” for J&K besides a “blot” on Indian democracy.
“5th August 2019 will go down in history not just as a dark day for J&K but a blot on Indian democracy. The day when a semi autonomous state was disempowered, dismembered & robbed of everything special & sacrosanct to us. Since then the state has been threatened into silence which is touted as ‘peace and normalcy’ to the rest of the country. Five years on the siege continues but so does the unyielding defiance & resistance. We Kashmiris refuse to be erased & unpeopled,” Mehbooba tweeted.
In Jammu, major opposition Congress Party staged a protest and dharna at Shaheedi Chowk area.
The protest, led by JKPCC Chief Vikar Rasool Wani, saw participation from top Congress leaders and senior functionaries.
Wearing black badges and carrying black flags, the Congress leaders voiced strong opposition to the BJP Government’s denial of Statehood, criticizing it for celebrating UT Day on the anniversary of what they termed as the disbanding of the historic Dogra State.
The Congress leaders condemned the BJP for its continued denial of Statehood despite five years passing since the abrogation of Article 370.
They demanded immediate restoration of Statehood with safeguards for land, jobs, and natural resources for locals, urging for the holding of Assembly elections and restoration of democracy.
Prominent participants included Congress Working President Raman Bhalla, Choudhary Lal Singh, and several other senior Congress members.
Addressing the media, JKPCC Chief Wani criticized the Modi Government for its handling of Jammu and Kashmir, accusing it of failing to deliver on promises and worsening conditions in the region.
He highlighted issues such as unemployment, price rise, and increased taxation, calling for the restoration of statehood and full democratic rights before the upcoming elections.
The protest also emphasized the need for addressing grievances related to economic hardship and security issues faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, with Congress leaders vowing to continue their fight for the region’s rights and status.
State Congress General Secretary and former Chairman of Jammu Municipal Corporation Satish Sharma also attacked the BJP for celebrating the downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory.
According to Sharma, the problems of people residing in Jammu and Kashmir have increased manifolds after the abrogation of Article 370.
He called the J&K BJP leaders insensitive to the regional issues as he believed that if they were sympathetic they wouldn’t have celebrated the downgrading of the status of Jammu and Kashmir.
He demanded immediate restoration of Statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) General Secretary Haji Ali Muhammad Sagar also criticized the Modi Government’s “unilateral decisions” made on August 5, 2019, stating they have failed to achieve their intended goals.
On the fifth anniversary of these actions, Sagar condemned the “unjust” house arrest of party leaders and the isolation of the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subha, in Srinagar.
He argued that such measures reflect the administration’s fear and the ongoing disempowerment of J&K’s people due to the lack of a democratically elected Government.
Other NC leaders, including Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Ajay Sadhotra, and Tanvir Sadiq, also condemned the house arrests.
They criticized the Government’s actions as a “betrayal of promises” made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and vowed to continue their fight for the restoration of rights through democratic and peaceful means, regardless of these challenges.
The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) also held a protest, led by Ex-Minister Choudhary Gharu Ram and DPAP Zonal President Ashok Sharma, demanding the restoration of full Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The DPAP leaders criticized the downgrading of the State and called for a Presidential Order to reinstate J&K’s status as it was before August 5, 2019.
They stressed that the region, historically a crown state of India, should not be equated with other Union Territories.
In a separate protest, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) General Secretary Rajesh Gupta accused the BJP of misleading the country about constitutional safeguards for Jammu and Kashmir.
Gupta demanded the restoration of Statehood, highlighting the adverse impacts of the abrogation of Article 370 on J&K’s economy and the suffering of its residents.
He criticized the BJP’s alleged failure to address rising unemployment and economic stagnation while calling for justice and restoration of democratic rights.
Sunil Dimple, President of Mission Statehood Jammu Kashmir, led a rally on Janipur High Court Road, demanding the restoration of the Dogra State and the implementation of the Instrument of Accession conditions.
Dimple described August 5 as a black day in J&K’s history, criticizing the BJP for dismantling the 200-year-old State into two Union Territories.
He called for the immediate restoration of the State and full powers to the Chief Minister and Assembly, urging the Supreme Court to direct the Central Government to act on these demands before elections.
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