Slams Centre Over Continued Delay in Statehood Restoration
JK News Today
Jammu, 04 August: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Provincial President Rattan Lal Gupta on Tuesday said the party will observe August 5 as Black Day to mark the unconstitutional and unilateral abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional guarantees, and to register a strong protest against the BJP-led Central Government’s persistent refusal to restore statehood despite repeated assurances.
In a statement issued from the party’s provincial headquarters, Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan, Jammu, Gupta said August 5 remains one of the darkest days in the constitutional and democratic history of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the decisions taken on that day stripped the people of their constitutional safeguards and were imposed without their consent, undermining the principles of democracy, federalism and constitutional propriety. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to bear the political, constitutional and emotional consequences of those decisions.
Gupta said that while the BJP has repeatedly claimed that the downgrading of the erstwhile state was temporary, its continued reluctance to restore statehood has exposed the hollowness of its promises.
“The people were assured that statehood would be restored at the earliest, yet years have passed without any concrete action. Instead of fulfilling its solemn commitment, the Centre has chosen to prolong uncertainty and deny the people their legitimate democratic rights,” he said.
The Provincial President said the prolonged delay in restoring statehood has deprived Jammu and Kashmir of the constitutional authority and administrative autonomy that every full-fledged state enjoys. He said governance under a Union Territory framework cannot be a substitute for an elected government vested with full constitutional powers and accountability. “A democratically elected government cannot function effectively when crucial powers remain outside its domain. This continued arrangement weakens democratic institutions and erodes the spirit of representative governance,” he added.
Gupta said the overwhelming participation of the people in democratic processes has once again demonstrated their unwavering faith in democracy, leaving the Centre with no moral or political justification to continue withholding statehood. He urged the Union Government to respect the people’s mandate, honour its repeated commitments made before the nation and the highest constitutional institutions, and immediately initiate the process for restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s full statehood.
Reiterating the National Conference’s unwavering stand, Gupta said the party will continue its peaceful and democratic struggle for the restoration of statehood and the constitutional rights and dignity of the people. He said the observance of August 5 as Black Day is a reminder that the aspirations of the people cannot be suppressed indefinitely and that the demand for justice, democracy and constitutional restoration will continue to resonate until fulfilled.
