BJP to hold protests against J&K govt. coinciding with NC’s Delhi agitation demanding Statehood
BJP to hold protests in Jammu and Kashmir on July 20 as the National Conference plans a Delhi sit-in for statehood, while Punjab police summon Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal in the Behbal Kalan sacrilege-related firing case.
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The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit has announced protests across the Union Territory on July 20, while the National Conference plans a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on the same day to seek statehood and constitutional guarantees for Jammu and Kashmir. The parallel mobilisation keeps the statehood question in active political debate and also brings back the wider constitutional discussion around Jammu and Kashmir’s post-Article 370 status.
What happened in Jammu and Kashmir
The BJP said its workers would assemble outside the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar on July 20. The party said it would protest alleged outsourcing of jobs and argue that Jammu and Kashmir’s youth deserve merit-based recruitment rather than backdoor appointments. BJP spokesperson Manzoor Bhat said the party would raise its voice for transparent recruitment and justice.
The National Conference’s Delhi plan remains uncertain in terms of venue and method because Delhi Police may or may not permit the sit-in. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the plan to go to Delhi would continue even if the venue or method changed. The Congress state unit supported the National Conference’s move.