Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 17: Rattan Lal Gupta senior leader and Provincial president of JKNC, Jammu said that the BJP Government at the Centre has once again exposed its double standards by denying Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, despite making repeated promises before the nation.
In a press statement Gupta said on the floor of Parliament, both the Prime Minister of India and the Home Minister of India gave categorical assurances that Statehood would be restored. But six years have passed and the people of J&K are still being deprived of their democratic and constitutional rights.
It is evident that the delay in granting Statehood is not due to administrative or constitutional hurdles, but due to political considerations of the ruling dispensation at the Centre. By keeping J&K under Union Territory status, the BJP Government wants to retain direct control over our resources, land, and institutions, thereby undermining the democratic aspirations of the people.
Gupta emphasized that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are not beggars seeking concessions. Statehood is our right, our identity, and our dignity. Denying us this right while making hollow promises is an insult to the people’s mandate of J&K.
He said that the National Conference, under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will continue to fight for the restoration of full Statehood. National Conference will raise this demand consistently in every forum inside the Assembly, in Parliament, and among the people. The denial of Statehood is an insult to the sacrifices and democratic spirit of the people of J&K. He urged the Centre to stop playing with the sentiments of the people and immediately fulfill its own promise.
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