On eve of Prime Minister Narinder Modi's visit to Jammu on April 24, opposition parties demanded the restoration of statehood and conducting of assembly elections in the Union Territory of J&K.
Opposition parties also demanded a total review of the draft report of the J&K delimitation commission.
Congress, National Conference, CPM, CPI, Dogra Sadar Sabha, IDP, and many social organizations convened a joint press conference to highlight their demands on the eve of the visit of the Prime Minister.
These organizations demanded the restoration of statehood and asked the Prime Minister to make the announcement in this regard in Jammu on Sunday.
They demanded that Assembly elections should be held at the earliest, following the delimitation but only after revisit and review of the draft report which is unfair and unjust, and is unacceptable in its present form.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on April 24 visit Jammu where he will address panchayats across the country to mark the National Panchayati Raj Day. This will be Modi's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Opposition parties formed "All parties United Morcha" in the presence of Former MP and veteran politician Sheikh Abdul Rehman, NC leaders Sheikh Bashir Ahmed and Ram Paul Congress leader and former legislator Ved Mahajan, Hari Singh-regional secretary CPI and others.
Chief spokesperson of J&K Congress Ravinder Sharma said that different political and social organizations have come together to raise a united voice over certain basic issues confronting the people of Jammu and Kashmir, at present and work together to secure these goals.
Demands raised by opposition parties
- Restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, as committed on the floor of the Parliament, without any further delay.
- Revisit and total review of the draft report of the delimitation Commission in order to make it fair and just to the ground realities and geographical situations in consonance with the settled norms of delimitation as the present draft report is unacceptable in the present form and rejected by a vast majority of the people.
- Restoration of democracy by holding Assembly elections at the earliest possible under statehood.
Cong urges PM to implement 73rd amendment
Congress today said that the J&K Government has failed to fully establish and empower the institutions of Panchayat Raj as per the 73rd and 74th amendments incorporated in the J&K Panchayat Raj Act.
"The elections to the institution of vice-chairpersons at BDC levels have not been conducted even after two and a half years of BDC Chairpersons elections and the elections to the various elected bodies of the DDC's have not been conducted even after one and a half year of the elections to the DDC's chairpersons and vice-chairpersons", Congress spokesman pointed out.
