Jammu, September 26: Senior National Conference leader and Provincial President Jammu, Rattan Lal Gupta, Adv., today accused the BJP of misleading the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the issue of restoration of full Statehood and deliberately creating confusion around the resolution moved by Hon’ble Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Gupta said that the resolution moved by the Chief Minister is clear and categorical in seeking the immediate and urgent restoration of full Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution also makes it clear that it is in addition to the resolutions passed by the Assembly on 26 June 2000 and 6 November 2024.
He said the 2000 resolution was the Autonomy Resolution passed by the then J&K Assembly, while the resolution of 6 November 2024 sought restoration of special status and constitutional guarantees. The present resolution does not replace or subsume those earlier resolutions; it specifically seeks restoration of full Statehood. CM Omar Abdullah also clarified this position in the House.
Rattan Lal Gupta said that instead of participating constructively in the legislative proceedings, placing its objections on record and taking part in the debate and voting, BJP members created disruptions, entered the Well of the House and raised slogans. Reports also indicate that copies of the resolution were torn during the protests and the Speaker had to adjourn the proceedings amid the uproar.
“If the BJP disagrees with the resolution, it should have participated in the democratic process, debated every clause and voted against it. Running away from discussion and voting cannot serve the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Gupta said.
He further stated that restoration of Statehood is an issue directly concerning the constitutional and democratic position of J&K and should not be converted into a political controversy by linking it selectively with earlier resolutions.
Gupta said that the BJP’s demand for dissolution of the elected government should also be viewed in the proper constitutional context. An elected government cannot be sought to be removed merely because the opposition disagrees with a policy, resolution or legislative position. The government derives its authority from the Assembly’s democratic mandate and constitutional processes.
He urged the BJP to stop misleading the people of Jammu and Kashmir and instead support a meaningful democratic debate on Statehood. The people of J&K expect their elected representatives to raise their issues inside the Assembly, participate in debate and respect parliamentary procedures rather than disrupt proceedings.
