Samba, Aug 01: The Apni Party on Thursday carried out a protest rally in Vijaypur, Samba district, demanding the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir before the proposed assembly elections.
The protest was led by the Party’s Provincial President for Jammu and former Minister, S. Manjit Singh. Participants carried placards calling for the reinstatement of statehood before the legislative assembly elections were held. They chanted slogans advocating for a restored democratic system with full empowerment.
Addressing the rally, Singh criticised the Central government’s handling of Jammu and Kashmir’s issues. He expressed concern that the current administration, under the Lieutenant Governor, appears to be a deliberate extension of Central government control, which undermines the rights of democratically elected institutions.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have never faced such a situation where their elected government is made dependent on the LG J&K, who takes directions from Delhi,” he said.
Manjit asserted that the Apni Party opposes the current “autocratic rule”, which he claimed disregards local sentiments and favours outsiders. There is a growing dissent among the people in Jammu against Central government policies, he said, adding that the lack of restored statehood has contributed to this unrest.
“The people of Jammu are nationalists who have sacrificed their lives defending the country’s borders. The government must recognise this and act in the best interests of both regions by granting statehood with full powers to an elected government in J&K,” he added.
