BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, PDP, Apni Party, People’s Conference, CPI(M), AIMIM, BJD, BSP, NC and several other national and regional parties invited to join Statehood protest
Srinagar, July 9 (JKNS): Rulling National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah has invited 52 public figures across sections and beyond INDIA Bloc to join a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon session.
Details accessed by news agency JKNS stated that, 52 prominent political leaders and public figures, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Asaduddin Owaisi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Naveen Patnaik, to join a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, demanding the immediate restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
He described the issue as a constitutional and federal concern extending beyond party lines.
Dr. Abdullah said the protest is not about one political party or one region but about safeguarding India’s federal structure, upholding the Constitution and securing the long-promised restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
In his letter addressed to national and regional political leaders, the former Chief Minister said the Union Government had repeatedly assured Parliament that statehood would be restored after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.
Dr. Abdullah said despite the successful conduct of Assembly elections in 2024 and the formation of an elected government under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the promise of restoring statehood remains unfulfilled.
“This is not merely a delay. It is an affront to the democratic will of an entire people,” he wrote, adding that the continued denial of statehood undermines the federal character of the Constitution and weakens democratic institutions.
The NC President asserted that the protest would remain peaceful, democratic and constitutional, emphasizing that the demand is only for what had already been promised by the Union Government.
He said the issue goes beyond Jammu and Kashmir and concerns every citizen who believes in India’s federal framework, urging political parties irrespective of ideological differences to stand united in defence of constitutional principles.
“The cause of federalism is not the cause of one party, one people or one region. It is the cause of every citizen of India who believes in the balance between unity and diversity envisioned by the Constitution,” the letter reads.
Dr. Abdullah also stated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had demonstrated faith in democracy by participating peacefully in elections and therefore deserved to have their constitutional rights restored without further delay.
Among those invited to participate in the protest are Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, DMK President M.K. Stalin, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, DPAP Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi, BSP chief Mayawati, BJD President Naveen Patnaik, BRS President K. Chandrashekar Rao, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and several other national leaders.
The invitation has also been extended to leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, BJP J&K President Sat Paul Sharma, Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, People’s Conference President Sajjad Gani Lone, J&K Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Awami Ittehad Party founder Abdul Rashid Sheikh, PDF Chairman Hakeem Yasin, Panthers Party Chairman Harsh Dev Singh, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq, several Members of the Legislative Assembly and Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam.
The National Conference said it hopes democratic voices from across the country will join the peaceful demonstration in support of restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and strengthening the country’s constitutional and federal framework. (JKNS)