Congress protests UT diwas, demands statehood, assembly polls
The party workers, led by state party president Vikar Rasool Wani along with working president Raman Bhalla, staged a sit-in at Shaheedi Chowk for over two hours
The Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Tuesday observed the UT Foundation Day as ‘black day’, terming the celebration by the administration as an insult to the people of the union territory.
The Congress party leaders also demanded early restoration of statehood and state assembly elections.
The party workers, led by state party president Vikar Rasool Wani along with working president Raman Bhalla, staged a sit-in at Shaheedi Chowk for over two hours.
The party leaders demanded statehood and assembly elections besides restoration of democracy, including urban local bodies and panchayat elections.
Wani slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre and the UT administration for celebrating UT Foundation Day.
“The promise of restoration of statehood on the floor of Parliament appears to be another ‘jumla’ of the BJP government as it is for the first time that the UT diwas is being celebrated on this day, which clearly indicates that BJP government does not want to restore statehood to J&K,” said Wani.
“This is an insult to the people of J&K, who are hurt by the downgrading of historical Dogra state. Congress shall launch a struggle and take it to the block levels for restoration of statehood and holding of assembly elections besides ULB and panchayat elections,” he added.
Bhalla said, “The historical Dogra state was downgraded into UT against the wishes of all the people of J&K. The BJP should explain to the people why statehood has not been restored after four years.”
“The people will teach a lesson to the BJP for this betrayal besides large scale unemployment, price rise and taxes,” he said.