Parliament, not NC or PDP, will restore statehood: LoP Sharma

Senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Saturday asserted that the Parliament will restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time, adding that neither the National Conference (NC) nor the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has any role in the matter.

The Leader of the Opposition in the J&K Legislative Assembly made these remarks during a visit to Tangdhar in Karnah, located in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. The visit was aimed at assessing the impact of recent shelling and engaging with affected families to understand their hardships.

“We will strongly advocate for their needs with the Central government, ensuring timely relief and support to rebuild homes and livelihoods,” Sharma wrote in a post on X.

Speaking to reporters, the BJP leader urged people not to be “misled” by opposition claims and reiterated that the Centre alone will restore statehood to the Union Territory.

“There is no role for the National Conference or the PDP in this. Their work is limited to providing LPG cylinders, ration, and pensions — which they have promised. The task of restoring statehood lies with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” Sharma said.

He added, “Statehood will not be restored at the request of the NC or PDP. It will happen when the appropriate time comes.”

Responding to a question about the ongoing Tiranga rallies, Sharma said the Tiranga is the pride of every Indian. “It is not the symbol of any political party. There is no politics in it,” he said.

Addressing concerns over damage caused by cross-border shelling, Sharma noted that senior BJP leaders have been consistently visiting the affected border areas to meet victims and assess the damage to life and property.

“We are satisfied with one thing — the people of the border areas have expressed great joy that, for the first time in history, the reaction of a country to a terrorist activity was so intense that the enemy nation was forced to retreat and came to its knees,” he said.