Jammu: The ruling National Conference (NC) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are heading for a direct political confrontation in Srinagar on Wednesday, with both parties announcing parallel protests over sharply contrasting issues.
The BJP will march towards the Civil Secretariat, raising questions over employment, electricity tariffs, alleged corruption, outsourcing of government recruitment and the delay in Panchayat and urban local body elections.
In response, the NC has announced peaceful protests outside BJP headquarters in Srinagar and Jammu, demanding accountability from the Union government over its commitments on restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
The BJP protestors will assemble at the Clock Tower in Lal Chowk in the morning and march towards the Civil Secretariat through M.A. Road.
The protest will be led by BJP J&K president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma, Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma and other senior party leaders.
The BJP had announced the protest following its recent organisational meeting in Srinagar, where the party accused the Omar Abdullah-led government of failing to deliver on its electoral promises. The increase in electricity tariffs, unemployment, alleged corruption, outsourcing of government jobs and the delay in grassroots elections are expected to figure prominently in the protest.
Sunil Sharma on Tuesday sharpened the BJP’s attack, challenging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to resign and seek a fresh mandate if statehood is the government’s priority.
“If you have moral courage, ethics and values, resign and fight the elections in the name of statehood,” Sharma said, arguing that the NC had sought votes in the Assembly elections on issues other than statehood.
He also accused the government of diverting attention from employment concerns.
Sharma claimed that around 25,000 young people were being affected by outsourcing and alleged that contractors were being engaged for recruitment, including doctors and paramedical staff, without adequate transparency or merit.
Reacting to the NC’s decision to target BJP offices on the same day, Sharma termed it “unfortunate” and alleged that the move was intended to dilute the BJP’s protest.
“Our protest will go on as per schedule,” he said, announcing that the party would press its demand for jobs and take up the employment issue through a gherao of the Civil Secretariat.
The NC, meanwhile, has framed Wednesday’s mobilisation around the issue of statehood and commitments made by the Union government in Parliament and before the Supreme Court.
In Srinagar, NC workers have been asked to assemble at Gindun Park near Police Station Rajbagh before proceeding with the protest.
Similar mobilisation has been announced outside the BJP headquarters in Jammu.
The party has listed restoration of statehood, constitutional guarantees, clearance of the reservation file and justice for the people of Jammu and Kashmir among its key demands.
The NC has also maintained that the electoral mandate secured by the party is “not a blank cheque” and must be respected.
The statehood demand remains politically significant following the 2019 reorganisation of the erstwhile state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Centre’s decision while directing that statehood for Jammu and Kashmir be restored at the earliest.
The NC has continued to press the issue, with party president Farooq Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and other workers staging a protest outside J&K House in Delhi in July.
Amid the escalating political rhetoric, Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmed Dar on Tuesday defended the NC government and hit out at opposition parties, saying efforts to weaken the ruling party would not succeed.
Speaking in Handwara, Dar said opposition parties would continue targeting the NC over the next three years but would fail to weaken it, describing the National Conference as the “strongest party”.
The minister also addressed complaints regarding the sale of sub-standard pesticides and fertilisers, saying the government had taken the issue seriously. He said enforcement teams had been directed to establish checking points and conduct inspections at entry and exit points to prevent the movement and sale of sub-standard agricultural inputs.
Dar urged people to report violations and assured that strict action would be taken against those found selling inferior fertilisers and pesticides.
He declined to comment when asked about NC Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, saying the issue had already been addressed by the party on several occasions.
Wednesday’s rival protests come just ahead of the upcoming Assembly session and are likely to intensify the political contest between the NC government and BJP over governance, employment, electricity tariffs, grassroots democracy and the larger question of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
