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On November 24, scores of Congress leaders and workers, muffled up in several layers of clothing to combat the cold, staged a demonstration at the party headquarters in Srinagar to press their demand for the restoration of statehood.
The demonstration was held a day before the commencement of the winter session of parliament. During the session, Tariq Hameed Karra, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief, demanded the restoration of statehood.
As the session began, the political parties in the region amplified their demand for the restoration of complete statehood. On August 5, 2019, the Union government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special constitutional provisions and split the region into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. However, both Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions assured that statehood would be restored after the assembly elections.
While National Conference Lok Sabha member Mian Altaf said he would raise the issue on the floor of House, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, speaking at a demonstration by CITU workers in Jammu, reiterated the demand for the restoration of statehood.
Ghulam Ahmad Mir, general secretary of All India Congress Committee, told businessline that they expected that the government would introduce a bill in the current session vis-à-vis restoration of statehood
“If the House runs smoothly, it will remain our demand throughout the entire session”, he said.
Mir said that the government had made a commitment and repeatedly promised to restore statehood, and it must now fulfil its promise.
On October 17, Omar Abdullah led government in its maiden cabinet meeting passed a resolution, calling for the restoration of statehood in its original form.
Concerns
There is a growing perception among political leaders and observers that the Union government may not restore the statehood in its original form and might retain control over certain key departments.
“We don’t want an amended or partial statehood”, Karra recently told reporters in Rajouri.
He said that some people in New Delhi were attempting to push for a partial statehood, withholding control over some crucial departments.
PDP youth leader and Waheed ur Rehman Parra told businessline that the party was in support of restoration of special position of Jammu and Kashmir and statehood as it existed before August 5, 2019.
Shahnawaz Hussain, a political analyst, said there was much talk about introducing a statehood model unique to J & K.
“ Such a model will, however, deepen alienation among the regional political parties, posing a threat to peace and development”, he added.
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