| Srinagar turns battleground: NC, BJP hold parallel protests over statehood, governance | | | SANJAY PANDITA
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 2: Srinagar became the epicentre of a bitter political showdown on Wednesday as the ruling National Conference (NC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took to the streets in parallel demonstrations, each accusing the other of betraying the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Riot police, backed by lathis and firearms, moved in to prevent both marches from reaching their intended targets, sealing off key routes and detaining activists from both camps as tempers flared across the city.
The BJP's demonstration began at the symbolic Lal Chowk, where party workers massed before attempting to march on the Civil Secretariat via Jahangir Chowk - only to be stopped in their tracks by police barricades.
Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma tore into the Omar Abdullah government, accusing it of abandoning the promises that swept it to power in the 2024 Assembly elections. Power cuts, water shortages, crumbling roads, joblessness and soaring tariffs, he said, had been met with silence rather than solutions. He went further, questioning the government's credibility on statehood itself and daring Abdullah to seek a fresh mandate if he still believed he commanded public trust.
J&K BJP chief Sat Sharma sharpened the attack, declaring that public anger had forced the party onto the streets and warning the administration to fix the crisis or step aside. He accused the NC of using the Pakistan issue as a smokescreen to hide its governance failures.
Barely a few kilometres away, in Rajbagh, the NC staged its own show of strength, attempting to march on the BJP's Srinagar headquarters before police halted that procession too. Party spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq made clear the march was a message to the Centre, not the local BJP unit - a reminder, he said, of unfulfilled promises made after the 2019 reorganisation of the erstwhile state. Statehood, constitutional safeguards, reservation reforms and youth unemployment, he insisted, remained non-negotiable.
Education Minister Sakina Itoo struck an even more combative note, declaring "every day is a day of protest" until statehood and Articles 370 and 35A are restored, and alleging that party workers were obstructed en route to the demonstration. Chief Minister's Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani warned that public patience was running out over the delay.
But it was NC president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah who delivered the day's most defiant words. Addressing supporters, he accused the Centre of reneging on its statehood promise, lamenting that even the business rules needed to operationalise governance had not been handed over. He took aim at those who backed the abrogation of Article 370, warning that history would judge them. "Today, we showed them that we will no longer remain silent. We will never bow our heads," he declared.
The confrontation was not confined to Srinagar. In Jammu, NC workers under Provincial President Rattan Lal Gupta gheraoed the BJP headquarters at Trikuta Nagar. Senior leader Ajay Kumar Sadhotra invoked repeated assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, calling statehood a constitutional right too long denied, and urged the Centre to bring legislation before Parliament without further delay. Gupta went further, insisting the Centre must respect the mandate voters gave the NC and warning that the party's "peaceful movement" would continue until statehood is restored.
Officials sought to downplay the scale of the standoff, insisting no blanket restrictions had been imposed on public movement and that the heavy security presence was aimed only at keeping the two rival camps apart. But with both sides digging in - one demanding governance accountability, the other demanding the Centre make good on old promises - Wednesday's twin protests laid bare just how deep the political fault lines in Jammu and Kashmir have become. |
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