JAMMU, Sep 2: President of Mission Statehood Sunil Dimple, along with hundreds of workers, today led a protest rally against the BJP, demanding restoration of the Jammu and Kashmir Dogra State, statehood and special status under Article 370.
Addressing the protesters, Dimple alleged that the BJP had betrayed the people of Jammu and Kashmir and accused the Union Government of delaying the restoration of statehood to hide its failures. He claimed that the absence of statehood had adversely affected the people, particularly the youth, who were facing difficulties in the absence of an elected state government.
Dimple also criticised the BJP’s recent protest in Kashmir, alleging that it was a sponsored event and that money was spent to gather people at Lal Chowk. He alleged that the programme was aimed at diverting public attention from issues such as unemployment among educated youth, alleged corruption in development works and rising prices of LPG, petrol, diesel, sugar and other essential commodities.
He demanded that the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister fulfil their commitments regarding restoration of J&K statehood and act in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict. Dimple said the government should immediately restore the erstwhile state and warned that his organisation could give a Jammu Kashmir-wide “Bandh” call in support of the demand for restoration of statehood and special status.
Dimple appealed to all political parties to come together on a common platform for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. He alleged that the BJP-led Union Government remained non-committal on restoring the erstwhile Dogra State and claimed that the 29 BJP MLAs had remained silent on the issue.
He further criticised the demand for a separate Jammu state, saying that such moves would weaken the broader demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir. Dimple said his organisation wanted the unification of Ladakh, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan with Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that these areas are an integral part of India.
Vikas, Mohinder Kumar, Lichi, Tarsem Lal, Ashok Sharma, Deepak, Dalip Kumar, S. Kala Singh, Surinder Kumar, Baba Kumar and others participated in the protest.