Omar Abdullah says no permission yet for July 20 protest on J&K Statehood

Even after extending an invitation to a cross-section of political leaders to join a sit-in-protest in the national Capital on July 20, the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, to press the Centre to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said the party is yet to get permission for the protest.

The National Conference has invited 52 leaders of political and religious outfits across the country to join its protest.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Srinagar, the CM said the party is seeking permission for a protest at Jantar Mantar, but alleged that some people were trying to “sabotage” their plan.

Referring to permission granted to the Cockroach Janta Party for the protest, the chief minister said that while the digital outfit received approval within 24 hours, the National Conference had been waiting for the past 4-5 days.

Abdullah also alleged that some people were trying to “sabotage” the NC plan.

“We have been trying for four-five days. Some people are engaged in sabotaging our programme. They have changed their dates and matched them with our dates,” he said, without naming anyone.

The National Conference has extended invitation to all its likeminded parties and their leaders, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi, DMK chief MK Stalin, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, BSP’s Mayawati, RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav, NCP’s Sharad Pawar, UBT’s Uddhav Thackeray, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal, YSR Congress’s YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, BRS’s K Chandrashekar Rao, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, and SAD’s Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief C Joseph Vijay, CPI’s D Raja, and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal have also been invited.

Invitees from Jammu and Kashmir include former CMs Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is the Chairman, Democratic Progressive Azad Party and Mehbooba Mufti — the PDP chief — have been invited along with BJP Jammu and Kashmir president Sat Paul Sharma, Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari, Peoples Conference chief Sajjad Lone, JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami, MP and chief of Awami Ittehad Party, Engineer Rashid, are among the invitees.

Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir and chief of Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of several religious bodies, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Grand Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam, have also been invited.