Statehood demand takes centre stage as parties protest on Article 370 anniv

On the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, most major political parties, barring the BJP, on Tuesday demanded the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that “democracy should be visible in Kashmir like in the rest of the country”.

Mainstream parties including the ruling National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) staged protest demonstrations in Srinagar. The Congress held demonstrations in both Srinagar and Jammu, where senior leaders alleged that the “dictatorial policies of the central government” were to blame for the delay in restoring statehood.

The BJP, however, marked the anniversary with celebrations in both Kashmir and Jammu, claiming that development had begun in the erstwhile state only after the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A.

NC MLA Salman Sagar said the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserved dignity, democracy and their rights. “We live in a country known for its democracy — that must reflect in Kashmir too,” he said.

In Jammu, former minister and NC leader Ajay Kumar Sadhotra said, “Jammu has been at the receiving end. Its vital interests can only be protected under proper statehood. J&K is a diverse and sensitive region, and only a democratically elected government under full statehood can address the unique challenges of our people.”

The PDP alleged that while its leaders were not allowed to stage peaceful protests, the BJP was given “patronage” to celebrate the day.

“A tale of two Kashmirs. While we weren’t allowed to stage even a peaceful protest against illegal abrogation of Article 370, BJP on the other hand was given full state patronage & ‘bandobast’ to celebrate this black day of our collective humiliation & disempowerment. Truth is being slaughtered at the altar of fake narratives,” PDP leader Iltija Mufti said on X.

Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in large numbers near party offices in Srinagar. Party representatives alleged that the deployment was aimed at preventing them from stepping out.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said, “August 5 marks a black day not just for Jammu & Kashmir, but for the entire nation. On this day, the Constitution was subverted not by foreign hands, but from within, by a brute majority in the heart of our democracy. The unconstitutional abrogation of J&K’s special status was not an end — it was the beginning of a broader assault on constitutional values.”

The J&K Congress said its chief, Tariq Hamid Karra, was leading a demonstration in Srinagar when he was stopped by a heavy police contingent while marching towards MA Road. The Congress observed the day as a ‘Black Day’, condemning the downgrading of statehood and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

In Jammu, the party held a demonstration in front of the Maharaja Hari Singh statue on Tawi Bridge. Party spokesperson Ravinder Sharma referred to the Supreme Court’s December 2023 directions to the Centre to restore statehood “as soon as possible”, but said that “even after more than one and a half years, that order has not been implemented”.

J&K BJP president Sat Sharma, addressing a gathering in Akhnoor, said that the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A had brought “constitutional unity, equal rights and dignity” to every citizen.