J&K BJP bigwig meets HM day after CM moves statehood resolution with autonomy reference

SRINAGAR: Following the Union Home Minister Amit Shah's reaffirmation of his commitment to peace, development, and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP leader of opposition Sunil Sharma met with Shah for advice as the state faced a resolution for restoring J&K's statehood on Saturday. Sharma emphasized that the BJP was ready to debate the statehood restoration document presented by the National Conference (NC) government led by Omar Abdullah, but would not accept attempts to incorporate issues related to Article 370 or the 2000 autonomy resolution.

He warned that the BJP would not let the so-called autonomy resolution or Article 370 become part of the debate at any cost. In contrast, the PDP vehemently opposed the resolution, calling it "weak" and demanding that it begin with a condemnation of Article 370's revocation on August 5, 2019. Muntazir Mehdi, a PDP legislator, moved an amendment condemning the unilateral measures taken by the Centre in 2019 and urging immediate restoration of J&K's full statehood along with its constitutional safeguards.

The resolution faced opposition from BJP members who tore up copies and chanted anti-national slogans, with lawmakers from NC ally Congress supporting the resolution and confronting their rivals. CPM, Peoples Conference, and PDP also backed the resolution. Omar Abdullah, the NC leader, defended the resolution by stating that it conveyed the House's continued support for past decisions and rejected BJP's accusations that demanding statehood could be deemed anti-national.

He pointed out that statehood was a promise made by the Centre and reaffirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event where Sharma was present. The NC has been under pressure from its rivals for months to drop demands for restoring Article 370 and demanding statehood only.