‘Show of strength’ that wasn’t: BJP protest against Omar government marred by low turnout

On Monday, BJP workers, including party MPs and MLAs, marched from different parts of Jammu city to the Civil Secretariat, accusing the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) government of failing on all fronts in Jammu and Kashmir. The leaders expressed disappointment at the NC's continued focus on the statehood issue rather than working on the ground.

Despite BJP leaders warning of similar protests in future if the government failed to perform, local supporters described Monday's protest as a "dismal show of strength" for the party, which has 29 of the 45 MLAs elected from the Jammu division.

Estimating the number of protesters at 1,000-2,000, a local businessman claimed that if all 29 elected party MLAs and four MPs brought 500 supporters each, the total would have exceeded 10,000. However, political observers suggested that the poor turnout may stem from the issue of statehood. Locals expressed resentment over the delay in restoring statehood and the fact that most important positions were being filled by non-local officers.

The NC, Congress, and PDP have been insisting on a timeline for statehood restoration, while local BJP leaders have reassured people that it would happen "at an appropriate time," as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The issue of statehood was also highlighted in Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary's Independence Day address, where he renewed the demand for restoration of statehood, citing the "pain and anguish" among people who feel they are not receiving their rightful and respectful place in the administration. Local BJP leaders failed to counter the NC's pitch for statehood, as the executive control and final decision-making power remain with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha due to Jammu and Kashmir being a Union Territory.

Notable attendees at Monday's protest included BJP's Rajya Sabha member Sat Sharma, Lok Sabha member Jugal Kishore Sharma, and the Leader of the Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma, who raised slogans against the NC-Congress alliance and demanded the Chief Minister's resignation due to "large-scale corruption" and "failure on all fronts."