SRINAGAR: Srinagar witnessed a rare political face-off on Wednesday as two political parties, one partially ruling J&K (NC) and another ruling the nation and having major control over J&K governance affairs (BJP), hit streets against each other, with NC attempting to protest outside the BJP headquarters over the delay in restoring J&K’s statehood, while the BJP attempting to ‘Gherao’ the Civil Secretariat over the government’s alleged failures. Neither march, however, was allowed to reach its intended destination.
From Lal Chowk to Civil Secretariat, Rajbagh and Jawahar Nagar, the competing protests brought heightened security, barricades and restrictions on movement along several key routes, as police stopped both sides from reaching their intended destinations.
Hundreds of BJP leaders and workers assembled at Ghanta Ghar in Lal Chowk to protest against the Omar Abdullah-led government, raising issues including unemployment, alleged corruption, job outsourcing and backdoor appointments, the electricity tariff hike and delays in Panchayat and urban local body elections.
The party had planned to march from Lal Chowk towards the Civil Secretariat, with BJP J&K president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma and Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Kumar Sharma leading the march.
Police and security forces were deployed in strength in and around Lal Chowk, while the route towards the Secretariat, including the Hari Singh High Street stretch, was sealed with barricades and concertina wires. Roads leading towards the BJP headquarters in Jawahar Nagar were also blocked in view of the rival NC program.
Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma said the BJP protest was meant to highlight what he described as the ‘failures’ of the NC government, particularly on issues affecting ordinary people and the youth.
He cited electricity, water, roads and employment among the issues fuelling public dissatisfaction and alleged that youth were facing difficulties in securing government jobs. He also criticized the increase in electricity tariffs, saying the additional burden had aggravated public resentment.
“People are angry with the government, and that is why they are on the streets,” Sharma said.
He also targeted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over promises made by the NC during the Assembly elections, including commitments relating to free electricity and employment, and challenged the Chief Minister to seek a fresh mandate from Ganderbal on the issue of statehood.
BJP state president and Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha Sat Sharma, meanwhile, accused the NC government of failing on development and attempting to divert public attention from its shortcomings. He also attacked the government’s approach towards Pakistan.
The BJP president said the government had the remaining three years of its term to deliver on development or step down, arguing that the turnout at Lal Chowk reflected growing public dissatisfaction.
The BJP march towards the Civil Secretariat was subsequently foiled by police near the Jehangir Chowk-Hari Singh High Street stretch, while a small group of protesters was reported to have moved closer to the Secretariat.
While the BJP was targeting the elected government over governance and development issues, the National Conference took its protest towards the BJP’s organizational headquarters in Jawahar Nagar.
NC leaders and workers assembled in the Rajbagh area near Gindun Park and began moving towards the BJP office, demanding restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, constitutional guarantees and action on reservation-related issues concerning the youth.
Led by the party’s provincial chief and Chief Minister’s advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani, the protesting NC leaders said the protest was aimed at seeking accountability from the BJP-led Centre over commitments made to Jammu and Kashmir on the floor of the Parliament and before the Supreme Court, the highest judiciary of India.
NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said the purpose of the demonstration was to draw the attention of the BJP’s central leadership in Delhi towards those commitments.
He said the NC wanted the Centre to move on statehood, constitutional safeguards and reservation-related issues affecting young people. Sadiq also made it clear that the protest was not directed against the BJP’s local leadership.
“We have nothing against the BJP’s local leadership,” Sadiq said.
He maintained that the party was seeking fulfillment of commitments made to the people of J&K and said employment-related concerns had also become an important part of the NC’s demands.
Sadiq also alleged that NC workers were being stopped at various points from reaching the protest venue, claiming that restrictions and barricades had been placed from different directions.
Education Minister and senior NC leader Sakina Itoo said the party would continue its peaceful political campaign for restoration of what she describes as the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
She said the demand had remained central to the NC’s political position since 2019 and would continue to be raised through democratic platforms.
“For us, every day is a day of protest, and every day we will peacefully demand, at every level and on every platform, that our rights be restored,” Itoo said.
She maintained that the issue was not confined to the NC and claimed it reflected the sentiments of people across Jammu and Kashmir.
“This is not just the voice of one organization, but it is the voice of the people of the entire Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
Itoo also alleged that NC workers were subjected to restrictions and checkpoints at several locations while attempting to reach the protest site. She claimed BJP workers were allowed to move more freely through Lal Chowk while NC supporters faced restrictions.
The minister reiterated the party’s demand for restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A along with statehood.
Chief Minister’s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani said the government had waited for nearly two years for commitments made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be acted upon.
He pointed to restoration of statehood and rationalization of reservations as two major unresolved issues, saying the latter was particularly important for the youth.
“We have been waiting patiently for the last two years, hoping that the promises made to us would be fulfilled,” Wani said.
On reservation rationalization, Wani said the matter had already gone through the Cabinet and been sent to the Lieutenant Governor but had not been finalized. He said queries had subsequently been raised by authorities in Delhi and the file was returned to the Cabinet for a response.
He also questioned the delay in appointing a regular Advocate General, saying several matters affecting the functioning of the elected government remained pending.
Wani said the government had expected statehood to be restored after the Assembly elections but alleged that there had been no meaningful discussion on the issue so far.
“We had hoped that statehood would be restored, but there has been no discussion on it,” he said.
The NC march was eventually stopped near the Rajbagh police station, where barricades prevented protesters from moving further towards Jawahar Nagar. The face-off between protesters and police led to a tense situation, with some participants reportedly taken into preventive custody.
The parallel demonstrations effectively brought the NC-BJP political contest onto Srinagar’s streets, with both parties using the protests to put forward sharply different narratives.
The BJP sought to corner the elected government over unemployment, electricity costs, alleged corruption, development and unfulfilled electoral commitments.
The NC, on the other hand, used the occasion to press the BJP-led Centre over restoration of statehood, constitutional safeguards and reservation-related matters, while reminding the central leadership of commitments it says were made to J&K.
With police barricades separating the two programs at different points, both marches were ultimately halted before reaching their intended destinations.
The day’s events nevertheless marked a visibly sharper phase in the political confrontation between the two parties, with Srinagar’s streets becoming the latest arena for their competing claims over governance, accountability and the future political status of Jammu and Kashmir.
‘BJP facilitated, NC repressed’: CM slams ‘differential treatment’ of protesters
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday accused the police and the administration of adopting different standards while dealing with protests by the BJP and the National Conference, claiming while the saffron leaders were escorted, those from his party were dragged.
Talking to reporters, Abdullah said while police “facilitated” the BJP leaders during their march to the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday, his National Conference (NC) colleagues were “brutally repressed”.
“You saw one protest that was denied. It showed the situation in J&K today: if you want to march on the Chief Minister’s residence, you’re allowed to; if you want to gherao the Secretariat, you’re allowed to; but if you want to protest outside the BJP’s office, God forbid, you will not be allowed, because the police are there only to protect the honour of the BJP; they don’t care about anything else,” the Chief Minister said.
The remarks came after police stopped NC protesters from marching towards the BJP headquarters in Jawahar Nagar to press for the restoration of statehood after its leaders and workers assembled in large numbers near the Gindun Sports Complex in Rajbagh.
Abdullah said he saw videos of journalists interacting with the BJP leaders during the latter’s protest march.
“I saw many of you accompanying that protest. The ease with which you were able to interview the leader of the opposition (Sunil Sharma) was seen by all. You saw how the BJP was allowed to protest, but the NC was not.
“So, please don’t draw false equals. One side was facilitated, the other was brutally repressed. My colleagues were dragged and injured, and some of them had to seek treatment in hospitals,” Abdullah claimed.
Responding to Sunil Sharma’s demand for his resignation as the chief minister, Abdullah said there was no reason for him to step down.
“Why should I resign? Should we assume that they have no intention of granting statehood to this government? If so, why are we not hearing it directly from the Centre? If they truly intend to tear the Constitution to shreds, disrespect the Supreme Court, disrespect Parliament and prove Modi’s promise as false, let them do so. I am not going to resign just to please the LoP,” Abdullah said.
The chief minister said the people of J&K gave his party a mandate for five years and he will present a report card to them.
“As for the allegations (of corruption), does my government even have the authority to conduct an investigation? Let the LoP tell us what investigation was carried out. If backdoor appointments took place, which agency investigated them? Let him name just one.
“The Anti-Corruption Bureau is not under my control. The Crime Branch is not under my control. The CID is not under my control, let alone the central agencies. Tell us, where was an FIR filed?” he asked.
Abdullah also accused the BJP of making baseless allegations since it didn’t have anything else to say.
“We are bearing the brunt of their mistakes; we are trying to fix them, yet they are the ones protesting,” he said.
Asked about RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark that Muslims cannot be downgraded, the chief minister said it needs to be put into practice.
