NC announces gherao of BJP offices

The ruling National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir announced on Tuesday that it will stage a peaceful 'gherao' of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offices in Jammu and Srinagar on Wednesday, September 2, to press the Union government to fulfil commitments made in Parliament and the Supreme Court regarding the restoration of statehood.

In a statement posted on its official social media account, the NC said the demonstrations would focus on what it described as its clear and longstanding demands. The party listed restoration of statehood, constitutional guarantees, clearance of the reservation file, and what it termed justice for the people of Jammu and Kashmir among its demands.

"The mandate of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is not a blank cheque. It must be respected, not taken for granted," the party said.

The announcement comes a day before the BJP plans to gherao the civil secretariat in Srinagar, citing the Omar Abdullah government's alleged failure to fulfil its electoral promises.

BJP's planned protest

The BJP's 'Secretariat Gherao' is scheduled to begin at 10 AM from Srinagar's Ghanta Ghar at Lal Chowk. Party president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma, along with Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, will lead workers towards the Civil Secretariat.

The party has described the protest as a response to what it calls Omar Abdullah's "administrative paralysis," citing corruption, outsourcing of government jobs, delays in Panchayat and urban local body elections, and a recent electricity tariff hike.

"People of Jammu and Kashmir deserve accountability, not excuses," a BJP spokesperson said.

Senior BJP leader Altaf Thakur alleged the NC's gherao was "an attempt to deflect attention from its own failures."

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary countered by calling the BJP's Secretariat gherao "political hypocrisy," questioning why the party's J&K unit was targeting the elected UT government instead of pressing its national leadership in New Delhi on statehood.

Background of the statehood demand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are on record saying that statehood would be restored to J&K at 'an appropriate time'. The Government of India, in its submission to the Supreme Court, also assured restoration of statehood to J&K.

Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh in August 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370. In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Centre's decision, observing that statehood should be restored as soon as possible.

In July, NC chief Farooq Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and party workers staged a protest outside J&K House in Delhi, demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. The NC had also carried out protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi at the start of the monsoon session of Parliament.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has argued that "statehood is the foundation for any meaningful special status."

As both parties prepare for simultaneous protests, the political atmosphere in Srinagar and Jammu is set to be charged. A local resident, speaking to Republic World, said: "We are tired of protests; what we want is jobs and stability. Though NC is right to remind the Centre of its promises. Statehood is not a favour, it is our right."