‘It should not only be a day-long photo-ops only but sustained process’
Abid Bashir
Srinagar, June 9: Senior National Conference leader and party’s Srinagar Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday said that he would join the National Conference’s proposed protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for the restoration of statehood on the first day of Parliament’s Monsoon session. He, however, asserted that his demand would go beyond restoration of statehood and focus on the return of Article 370.
The statement comes days after the National Conference announced that it would stage a protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on the opening day of Parliament’s upcoming Monsoon Session, seeking restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
While extending support to the protest call, said the political struggle of Jammu and Kashmir cannot remain limited to the issue of statehood alone.
“I will join the protest for sure, but my demand will be restoration of Article 370, not just statehood,” Ruhullah told reporters here. “It shouldn’t be a mere day long photo ops but a sustained process.”
The National Conference had recently announced plans to hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi during the first day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, with party leaders stating that restoration of statehood remains a commitment repeatedly made by the Union Government.
Senior NC leaders have said the protest is aimed at reminding the Centre about promises made regarding the restoration of democratic and constitutional rights to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ruhullah’s statement, however, has added a sharper political dimension to the proposed protest by bringing the issue into the centre of public discourse.
The Srinagar MP has consistently maintained that the political aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir are linked not merely to administrative restoration, but also to constitutional guarantees and democratic rights that existed prior to August 2019.
The proposed protest in Delhi is expected to witness participation from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, senior National Conference leaders, MPs, legislators and party workers and could emerge as one of the biggest political mobilisations by the party outside Jammu and Kashmir in recent years.
The Monsoon Session protest also comes at a time when political activity in Jammu and Kashmir has intensified, with regional parties increasingly sharpening their positions on issues related to statehood, constitutional safeguards and representation.
With Ruhullah publicly backing the protest while simultaneously broadening its political message, the forthcoming demonstration at Jantar Mantar is likely to draw national political attention and revive debate around the larger constitutional questions surrounding Jammu and Kashmir.