Kashmir Statehood Protest Splits Regional Parties: NC's Delhi Rally Faces Boycott
Two prominent regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir—the J&K Peoples Conference (JKPC) and the J&K Apni Party (JKAP)—have announced they will not participate in the ruling National Conference's (NC) protest in New Delhi on July 20 demanding statehood and constitutional guarantees. The J&K Congress, however, has confirmed its participation and will also hold district-level protests on July 19.
JKPC chief and legislator Sajad Lone questioned both the timing and motive behind Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's call for a sit-in at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. 'Our party stands for the pre-August 5, 2019 status: Article 370, Article 35A, and full statehood. Article 370 is paramount. Major political decisions require consensus, not unilateral street action,' Mr. Lone said.
He argued that the J&K Assembly is the constitutional voice of the people and criticized that no statehood resolution had been passed in nearly two years. 'My attempts to move such a resolution were blocked by the Speaker on grounds of sub judice,' he added. Mr. Lone suggested that the government should first convene an emergency Assembly session, pass a resolution, and then send an all-party delegation to meet central leaders, rather than taking the issue directly to Delhi. 'Bypassing the assembly reduces the statehood question to a national political fight, stripping the people of their role in their own cause,' he said.
Mr. Lone accused the NC of inconsistency, noting that the party 'rushed to present shawls to central leaders before final election results and later sent flowers to the Union Home Minister after Mamata Banerjee's defeat in West Bengal, while simultaneously invoking anti-BJP rhetoric for public consumption.' He added that dharnas typically produce little beyond media coverage and may serve to distract from governance failures.
J&K Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari said the NC's protest 'is to empower its government, not the people.' He questioned why the NC did not demand statehood over the past six years, especially when forming the government in 2024. 'They raised the issue now only to strengthen their own government,' Mr. Bukhari said. He emphasized his party's belief in achieving statehood through democratic means and dialogue, not confrontation. 'We need to convince the Centre through political means—holding talks,' he said.
Mr. Bukhari also highlighted what he called forgotten issues: 'The NC once talked about plebiscite, then autonomy, and recently promised restoration of Articles 370 and 35A. Now they no longer discuss those. Wait a while, and they will stop talking about statehood too.' He held traditional parties responsible for the hardships faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir over the decades.
Meanwhile, the J&K Congress formally announced its participation in the July 20 protest. A party spokesperson said, 'The Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq movement for full statehood began nearly two years ago and was always intended as a broad-based people's movement, not confined to any single party.' The Congress also plans district-level protests on July 19 to build momentum.
Context: Jammu and Kashmir has been a union territory since August 5, 2019, when the central government abrogated Article 370, which granted special status, and bifurcated the state. The NC-led government, formed after the first assembly elections in the union territory in 2024, has made statehood restoration a key demand. The upcoming protest reflects divergent strategies among regional parties on how to achieve that goal.
