Jammu: National Conference provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta on Friday hit back at BJP leader Sunil Sharma’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, asserting that its restoration is a constitutional and democratic aspiration, not a matter of any family’s “kingdom”.
Gupta’s remarks came a day after Sharma, who is Leader of Opposition in the J&K Legislative Assembly, alleged that the Abdullah family wants statehood to revive their “kingdom”, imposing the Public Safety Act (PSA) and open firing on youth.
“People of Jammu and Kashmir are not concerned about the restoration of statehood; only the Abdullah family wants to bring back their lost kingdom. They want to hold the stick, they want the power to impose PSA, they want the authority to fire bullets at the chests of youth — that is the kind of statehood the Abdullah family wants.
“That is the statehood they are looking for. Otherwise, no one else is concerned about statehood,” the BJP leader had said.
Reacting to Sharma’s remarks, NC’s Jammu provincial president said such remarks unnecessarily personalise an issue that concerns the constitutional and democratic status of J&K.
“The demand for restoration of statehood should not be reduced to the political interests of any individual or family. Statehood concerns the constitutional position, democratic aspirations and administrative interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is, therefore, important that the debate remains focused on the rights and interests of the people rather than on personal or family-centric allegations,” Gupta said here.
He said the NC has consistently raised the issue of restoration of statehood, and the elected government led by Omar Abdullah has also placed it among its important demands.
The NC government passed a resolution seeking restoration of statehood in its first cabinet meeting after assuming office in 2024.
“The BJP is politically trembling in Jammu and Kashmir because of the continued public support for the Abdullah family. The sacrifices and contributions of generations of NC leaders and workers cannot be dismissed through political rhetoric,” Gupta said.
He said the people of J&K were capable of judging the contributions of political parties and leaders. “Our focus should remain on democracy, development, restoration of statehood, employment and the welfare of the people,” he said.
Gupta said the continued public engagement of NC reflected the strength of its grassroots organisation.
Under the leadership of Omar Abdullah, he said, the elected government remained committed to development and people-oriented governance across J&K.
