Statehood: Opp parties call for protest in Kathua tomorrow

Jammu, Aug 06: All opposition parties have announced a dharna demonstration in Kathua on August 08, Thursday, demanding the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and the rollback of amendments that increase the jurisdiction of the Lieutenant Governor in the Reorganization Act, the Shiv Sena (UBT) J&K said on Tuesday.
The parties also strongly condemned the current situation in Bangladesh and the attacks on Hindu religious places, appealing to the Modi government at the Centre to ensure the safety of Indian students and Hindus, including Hindu religious places in Bangladesh, the party said in a statement.
Representatives of various social organizations such as Congress, NC, Shiv Sena (UBT), PDP, AAP, S Akali Dal, CPI ML, including AIPA, HRS, DBMC, etc, took part in an all-party meeting held at the Congress State Office in Jammu. “In this meeting, it was unanimously decided to continue the ongoing movement for the restoration of statehood and democratic rights. A dharna demonstration was announced to take place outside the DC office of Kathua on August 8th under the banner of All Party United Morcha,” the statement said.
All Party Convenor and Shiv Sena (UBT) State Chief Manish Sahni, who was present on this occasion, said, “Despite a long gap of five years, the promise of returning statehood has not been fulfilled. The decisions being taken by the Modi government regarding Jammu and Kashmir clearly indicate that Jammu and Kashmir is not going to get the status of a state even in the near future. At the same time, by amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, the democratic rights of the people are being hollowed out.”
Another meeting was held in Kathua, under the chairmanship of Convenor ID Khajuria, where the members of the district unit of the said parties participated and finalized the dharna demonstration to be held on August 08, the statement said.