Jammu, July 28: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed optimism that the Union Territory’s statehood will be restored during the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. He said his government would push the matter if there is no progress before the session concludes.
“Let this Parliament session pass. We are hopeful that we will get something in this session. If we do not get anything, we will talk after that. I will not go for a strike as long as the Parliament is in session,” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Jammu.
According to Reuters, the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir has been a major political demand since August 2019, when the central government revoked the region’s special status under Article 370 and bifurcated it into two Union Territories.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Congress announced it will escalate its agitation for statehood from August 1, launching a three-week campaign under the banner Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq (“Our State, Our Right”). The programme will include a chain hunger strike and other protest actions.