Jammu, J&K (India): Jammu and Kashmir has been grappling with two contradictory demands – restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and the demand to carve out a separate Jammu state from the existing Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.
The J&K Congress Committee, National Conference, Peoples’ Democratic Party, Apni Party, Peoples Conference, and other political parties have repeatedly demanded the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The demand has gained momentum the Omar Abdullah–led National Conference government in Jammu and Kashmir has raised concerns, stating that the government has become powerless in the Union Territory. However, this claim was countered by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration, which asserted that the National Conference government has full freedom to function within its ambit.
Meanwhile, the BJP, which draws a majority of its electoral support from the Jammu region, has remained largely silent on the demand for restoration of statehood, despite repeated assurances by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament and at public rallies that full statehood would be restored to Jammu and Kashmir.
The recent controversy erupted when BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma advocated statehood for Jammu through its separation from the existing Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. However, the BJP has officially distanced itself from Sharma’s demand for a separate Jammu state.
As the political storm hits Jammu and Kashmir afresh, the opposition – particularly J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Tariq Hameed Karra – has urged the Central Government to set a clear timeline for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, which was downgraded in August 2019.
Jammu and Kashmir was earlier a full-fledged state with Ladakh as one of its regions. However, on August 5, 2019, the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories – Ladakh, which was made a Union Territory without a legislative assembly, and Jammu and Kashmir, which became a Union Territory with a legislative assembly.
The demand for statehood has since gained momentum, with almost all political parties calling for its restoration, except the J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir continue to raise their voices for the restoration of statehood, a section of the right-wing groups has pressed for separate statehood for the Jammu region, further polarising public opinion.
He pointed out that statehood was mentioned in the Lieutenant Governor’s previous address but was omitted this time. While participating in the motion of thanks on the Lt Governor’s address in the legislative assembly, Karra also suggested the constitution of an all-party MLA panel to facilitate the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
“The democratic process in J&K was restored only after the intervention of the Supreme Court; otherwise, this Assembly would not have been formed,” he stated.
Hinting at the BJP, Karra said, “There are some quarters that want to make Jammu a separate state even as the majority of the people are demanding restoration of statehood.”
“History is witness that this idea is not new. In the past, too, some leaders raised such demands, giving rise to regional mistrust,” he said, stressing the need for unity and communal harmony.DD
Chief Editor
Diplomat Digital
