Babu Rampaul calls for restoration of statehood, a democratic right of people
JAMMU, Jun 27: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) Central Zone, comprising the districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua, on Saturday held an important organisational meeting at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan under the chairmanship of former Minister and Central Zone President Babu Rampaul to chalk out the party’s strategy for the forthcoming Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections. The meeting also featured extensive deliberations on several public issues requiring urgent government attention. Babu Rampaul was the Chief Guest on the occasion.
The meeting was organised by JKNC Zonal Secretary and Coordinator, Central Zone, Dr. Vikas Sharma, and Zonal Joint Secretary Rajinder Kumar. It was attended by senior party functionaries and workers from across the Central Zone.
Provincial Secretary Jammu and Ex-MLC Sheikh Bashir Ahmad attended as the Guest of Honour. Provincial Secretary Pardeep Bali, OBC Cell Chairman Abdul Gani Teli and Laxmi Dutta (Senior Leader) were also present.
Participants unanimously resolved to intensify the party’s campaign for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, which was revoked on August 5, 2019. Reiterating the party’s long-standing stand, Babu Rampaul said the time had come for the Central Government to fulfil its commitment and restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir without further delay.
He asserted that the restoration of statehood is not merely a political demand but a constitutional, democratic and legitimate right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Lasting peace, inclusive development, effective governance and sustained economic progress cannot be achieved unless the democratic rights of the people are fully restored,” he said.
Babu Rampaul reaffirmed the National Conference’s commitment, under the leadership of Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, to strengthening democratic institutions, ensuring regional balance and accelerating socio-economic development across Jammu and Kashmir.
Highlighting the achievements of the Omar Abdullah-led government, he said the administration has ensured balanced political representation by giving equal importance to both the Jammu and Kashmir regions. He said inclusive governance has been institutionalized through equal regional representation in the Council of Ministers, the appointment of a Deputy Chief Minister from Jammu and the allocation of key portfolios to leaders from the Jammu region.
Speaking about youth welfare, he said the government is committed to transforming the aspirations of young people into meaningful opportunities through employment generation, entrepreneurship and skill development.
He highlighted Mission YUVA (Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan), which aims to facilitate the establishment of nearly 1.37 lakh enterprises and generate around 4.25 lakh employment opportunities over the next five years through financial assistance, mentoring, capacity building and entrepreneurship support. He added that enhanced sports infrastructure and youth-centric budgetary initiatives are empowering young people to become active partners in the region’s development.
Referring to the long-standing drinking water crisis in the Kandi belt of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, Sheikh Bashir Ahmad said successive governments had failed to provide a lasting solution despite decades of public suffering. He said the Omar Abdullah-led government had treated the issue as a priority and revived several long-pending water supply schemes to ensure that safe and adequate drinking water reaches thousands of families living in these water-scarce areas.
Calling upon party leaders to strengthen grassroots outreach, he urged them to intensify public contact programmes by organising nukkad meetings, door-to-door campaigns and public interactions to highlight the developmental initiatives and welfare measures undertaken by the Omar Abdullah-led government.
He further said that the government has begun fulfilling its electoral commitments and that party workers must effectively communicate these achievements to the people ahead of the forthcoming Panchayat and Municipal elections.
The meeting also witnessed detailed deliberations on organisational preparedness, booth-level strengthening, election strategy and public outreach for the upcoming local body elections. Several party leaders shared their views and suggestions regarding the challenges and opportunities ahead.
On the occasion, several social activists and prominent workers joined the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. Those who joined the party included Om Prakash Thappa, Vijay Kumar, Sonu Kumar, Kewal Krishan, Divya Mahajan, Sanjeev Thakur, Karan Singh, Sewa Singh, Rattal Lal, Raj Kumar, Anil Kumar, Sheru Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Sumit Singh and Muna Kumar.
Among others present were Adv. Rajinder Chanyal, Sham Lal Mehra, Dilshad Malik and Reeta Gupta (Vice Presidents, Central Zone); Bharat Bhushan; B.D. Dalotra (Retd. SP); S. Surjeet Singh Sasan (Zonal Secretary); Naved Raja; Manohar Lal; Rajinder Kumar (Zonal Joint Secretary); Bahadur Lal (Block President), Satpal, and other party workers.