JAMMU, Sep 30: Mission Statehood president Sunil Dimple led a protest rally at Rehari, Jammu, demanding the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The demonstration came shortly after the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly passed a resolution calling upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory. The resolution was passed by voice vote on September 28 after BJP legislators staged a walkout.
Addressing the protesters, Dimple welcomed the Assembly’s resolution and described its passage as a victory for those campaigning for the restoration of statehood. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to fulfil their commitments regarding the restoration of J&K’s statehood.
Dimple said he had been raising the demand for restoration of the erstwhile Dogra state’s status through different platforms, including public demonstrations and legal forums. He claimed that his campaign had extended from the streets to the Supreme Court.
The Mission Statehood president also questioned the opposition of the BJP legislators to the resolution and asked why the issue of restoration of statehood had become a point of contention. The BJP had opposed the wording and references to earlier autonomy and special-status resolutions during the Assembly proceedings. BJP leaders have maintained that they support restoration of statehood but object to references concerning the pre-2019 constitutional position.
Dimple further demanded that the statehood issue be implemented at the earliest and said that, according to his political programme, the restoration process should also address issues concerning state-subject provisions, domicile rules and the constitutional arrangements that existed before 2019.
He also challenged Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma to seek dissolution of the Assembly and put the demand before the Union government, while questioning the position taken by BJP legislators on the statehood issue.
Dimple alleged that the people and youth of Jammu and Kashmir had faced difficulties following the 2019 reorganisation of the erstwhile state into Union Territories. He reiterated his demand for the restoration of statehood and said his organisation would continue its campaign on the issue.
The Assembly resolution passed on September 28 calls for the “immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir” and provides that it be forwarded to the Government of India. It also refers to resolutions passed by the House in June 2000 and November 2024.
Other leaders and activists who participated in the protest included Nagendra Choudhary, Ashok Sharma, Happy, Rocky Kapoor, Sanjeev, Shami, Happy Singh, Sunny, Baba and others.