JAMMU and Kashmir’s political landscape is set for another round of confrontation as the National Conference (NC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepare parallel protest campaigns that are expected to sharpen the political discourse in the Union Territory.
While the ruling National Conference is intensifying preparations for its proposed July 20 protest in New Delhi seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the BJP has announced a series of counter-agitations, accusing the Omar Abdullah-led government of failing on governance and attempting to divert public attention.
The BJP has decided to launch its campaign from July 20—the same day the NC plans to stage its demonstration in the national capital—with a major protest in Kashmir. The party will follow it up with another protest in Jammu on August 1 before expanding the agitation to district and Assembly constituency levels across the Union Territory.
BJP leaders say the protests are aimed at exposing what they describe as the failures of the National Conference government.
A senior BJP leader told The Tribune that the NC was using the demand for statehood restoration to shift focus away from governance issues.
“They have failed on every front. Now they are trying to divert public attention by raising the statehood issue,” the leader said, adding that party workers across both Jammu and Kashmir regions were being mobilised to ensure the success of the protests.
On Thursday, BJP leaders reiterated that the party had given the NC government adequate time to deliver but claimed it had failed on all major fronts. They said the party would hold the government accountable both politically and through public mobilisation.
The National Conference, meanwhile, is making its own preparations for the July 20 demonstration in New Delhi. The party has invited 52 political and religious leaders from across the country to participate in what it describes as a peaceful and democratic protest on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session.
The invitees include Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi; Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav; BSP president Mayawati; RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav; NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar; Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray; AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal; Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal; CPI leader D Raja; and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal.
Although the party is yet to receive permission to hold the demonstration at Jantar Mantar, CM Omar Abdullah has maintained that there will be no change in the National Conference’s plans.
The simultaneous mobilisation by the NC and the BJP underscores the growing political contest in J&K, with the debate over statehood restoration increasingly intersecting with questions of governance and public accountability. As both parties prepare to take their campaigns to the streets, the coming weeks are likely to witness an intensified political battle in the Union Territory.