Srinagar, Dec 18 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Wednesday staged protests in Srinagar and Jammu region over multiple issues including the restoration of Statehood.
Already announcing the proposed march towards Raj Bhawan in Jammu and Srinagar, JKPCC Chief Tariq Hameed Karra as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that they were ‘stopped’ and not allowed to move ahead with their protest programme.
As per the JKPCC, the protest called for accountability from the BJP-led central government over the alleged Adani corruption case, denouncing the ‘deteriorating’ situation in Manipur and criticizing the Home Minister’s recent remarks about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, terming those as a direct affront to the principles of the Indian Constitution.
Karra, while addressing the media after the police halted their protest march in Jammu, said that the Congress was committed to the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, accusing the government of delaying their promise, despite the Supreme Court's directives.
“The Supreme Court facilitated elections here, why is statehood still withheld? What are the people of Jammu and Kashmir being punished for?" He further criticized the bureaucratic confusion caused by the delay in restoring statehood. “Officials are unsure about their accountability, leading to inefficiency and misuse of power,” he stated.
Karra warned that if the demand of statehood was not met promptly, the Congress party may take their protest to another level to pursue their statehood demand.
Karra criticized the government, stating that no action was taken against Adani despite alleged financial irregularities reported internationally, including investigations by the US Justice Department. “If Adani had been in any country other than India, he would have been in prison for months,” he said.
Speaking about the Manipur crisis, Karra expressed concerns about the ongoing unrest in Manipur, accusing the central government of failing to control the situation. He questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to treating all states as part of his "family," asking, "Does Manipur belong to your family or not?”
Meanwhile, JKPCC said that in Srinagar, at Congress party headquarters, scores of workers, including the party's women cadre and other party functionaries, tried to take the similar march but were stopped by the police force as gates of the party office were closed.
“Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, the police prevented the Congress leaders and workers from marching towards Raj Bhavan, forcibly pushing them inside party headquarters,” JKPCC said—(KNO)