JAMMU, SEPTEMBER 26 (KNS): National Conference Additional General Secretary and former Minister Ajay Kumar Sadhotra today launched a sharp attack on the BJP over its opposition to the resolution moved by Chief Minister Jenab Omar Abdullah in the Legislative Assembly seeking restoration of full Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Sadhotra said this resolution and resolutions of 2000, and 2024 are neither an out of the box proposition nor outside the Constitution, as the BJP was trying to portray it.

“Restoration of full statehood is a constitutional and democratic demand. There is nothing radical or unconstitutional about asking for restoration of the status that Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed before its conversion into a Union Territory,” and moreover, Prime Minister, Home Minister of the Country have promised in Parliament and outside Parliament for restoration of statehood, after delimitation and elections. Moreover, Modi Government has assured statehood in Supreme Court of India also, he said.

“The BJP should read the resolution for what it actually seeks. The operative demand is clear: immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Sadhotra said the BJP’s reaction exposed a glaring contradiction in its approach. “If the BJP has nothing to fear from the people’s mandate, let its legislators debate the resolution, participate in the proceedings and vote. Why create a ruckus when the issue is before the elected House?” he asked.

He accused the BJP of political doublespeak on an issue that concerns the dignity and constitutional rights of the people of the entire Jammu and Kashmir. “People of Jammu and Kashmir are asking for dignity, democratic space and restoration of their constitutional status.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThey are not asking for charity. They are asking for what was promised and what is constitutionally valid,” Sadhotra said.

Taking the BJP head-on, he said, “The BJP cannot speak in two voices. It cannot claim to respect the democratic aspirations of Jammu and Kashmir and, at the same time, seek to obstruct a discussion on restoration of statehood in the elected Assembly.”

Mr Sadhotra said the BJP should stop treating every legitimate aspiration of the people as a political confrontation. Jammu and Kashmir is not a laboratory for political experiments. Its people have a right to ask questions, assert their aspirations and seek restoration of their democratic dignity, he said. He said that the BJP was rattled because the statehood issue had once again come to the centre of political debate. The BJP is frustrated because its political narrative is being exposed before the people. When confronted with a straightforward question on statehood, it is trying to change the subject instead of answering it, he said.

Sadhotra said the people of Jammu and Kashmir were watching every political party and every elected representative. The time for political doublespeak is over. The people want to know who stands for restoration of full statehood and who is
willing to obstruct it, he added.

He urged the BJP to rise above partisan politics and respect the urges and aspirations of the people of the entire Jammu and Kashmir. “Let there be a debate, let there be a vote and let the people see where every party stands,” Mr Sadhotra said.(KNS)