BJP protests in Jammu & Kashmir
Facing the political heat in its strong bastion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, led by their State unit Chief and senior parliamentarians and Leader of the Opposition, on Monday took out a protest march in the walled city of Jammu against the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference Government for betraying the mandate of the people and pushing Jammu & Kashmir into a phase of administrative paralysis.
Several senior party leaders demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, alleging large-scale corruption and complete failure of governance.
In Srinagar, the Chief Minister shrugged off the BJP protest, claiming they are in the Opposition. Let them protest. What can I do about it?
Protesters also set ablaze effigies of the NC-Congress Government, while police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in large numbers along the march routes and the Civil Secretariat. Women workers of the BJP Mahila Morcha also participated in the demonstration.
“Thousands of BJP workers, MPs, legislators and common people are on the roads to express their anger against the NC-led Government. The elections were held after a long gap, and the National Conference came to power after making several promises before the elections. But now, when it is time to actually work, they keep raising the issue of Statehood to mislead the public,” the J&K BJP president Sat Paul Sharma said.
He claimed that since the Government has failed to meet the public’s expectations, it’s using the Statehood issue merely to distract people.
Addressing the gathering, several other senior BJP leaders issued a stern warning to the NC Government to end its politics of excuses and start fulfilling its commitments to the people.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma said the National Conference Government has become synonymous with broken promises and administrative failure. He said that instead of solving people’s problems, the Government is busy creating political narratives to hide its own incompetence. He said every section of society, including youth, sportspersons, farmers, employees, traders and common citizens, feels betrayed because none of the major commitments made before the elections have been honoured. He warned that if the Government continues to ignore public sentiment, it will face an even stronger democratic movement across Jammu & Kashmir.
Nirmal Singh said the NC Government has disappointed every region and every section of society by failing to provide effective governance.
NC chief spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq said the BJP had every democratic right to protest but should first fulfil its “long-pending” commitment to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Give us Statehood and then see the results,” Sadiq told reporters in Srinagar.
He asked the BJP to explain to the people of Jammu and Kashmir why it had not fulfilled commitments made after the abrogation of Article 370.
“They (BJP) are the ones who defeated the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Sadiq told reporters in Srinagar.
He said that the BJP had promised to restore Statehood after completing the delimitation exercise and holding Assembly elections, but had failed to keep its word till now.
