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Amid CJP protest, Omar Abdullah's Delhi auto ride for Jammu and Kashmir statehood demand stir
Omar Abdullah said the party was stopped from holding a peaceful protest but insisted that its fight for statehood had "only just begun".
As Delhi witnessed the Cockroach Janta Party's led (CJP) 'Chalo Sansad' march on Monday triggering heavy security and traffic restrictions, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah claimed that National Conference leaders were also prevented from reaching Jantar Mantar to demand the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood.
Sharing his experience on X, Abdullah said the party was stopped from holding a peaceful protest but insisted that its fight for statehood had "only just begun".
In a post on X, Abdullah alleged that the protest was blocked but asserted that it would not weaken the party's resolve.
"We were stopped from getting to Jantar Mantar & stopped from protesting peacefully for what is rightfully ours but we were not silenced. This is only the beginning of our struggle for statehood, our rights, our dignity and everything that was taken away from us," he wrote.
Omar takes auto ride
The chief minister also shared a video of himself travelling in an autorickshaw after his planned walk to the protest venue was disrupted. In the caption accompanying the video, he wrote, “My walk from Jantar Mantar was about to turn into another procession so we grabbed the first available means of transport.”
The National Conference had organised a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. Party leaders said they faced restrictions while trying to reach the designated protest site but maintained that the campaign for statehood would continue.
The protest coincided with heavy security arrangements across central Delhi as thousands of CJP supporters gathered for the outfit's 'Chalo Sansad' march. Several roads around Jantar Mantar and Parliament were barricaded, and access to parts of the area remained restricted amid heightened security.
Ahead of the demonstration, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary said the protest was intended to remind the Centre of its promise to restore statehood.
"During the 2024 elections, both the Prime Minister and Home Minister assured the people of Jammu & Kashmir that statehood would be restored once the elections concluded. Yet, twenty-one months have passed. We have exercised great patience and waited, hoping for the day when the Prime Minister and the Home Minister would fulfil the promise made to the people of Jammu & Kashmir," Choudhary had told ANI.
Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two Union Territories after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Since then, the restoration of full statehood has remained one of the National Conference's key political demands, with the party repeatedly urging the Centre to honour its commitment following the Assembly elections.
(With inputs from PTI)
