Srinagar: Several Congress leaders were detained on Thursday after protesting against the government of India led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging its failure to curb militancy and the transfer of all powers to the lieutenant governor ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls.
Hundreds of Congress workers, led by AICC in-charge of J&K affairs Bharat Sinh Solanki, Pradesh Congress Committee president Vikar Rasool Wani, and several other former ministers and ex-legislators, came out of the party headquarters at Residency Road and began marching towards the Raj Bhawan. They were, however, stopped by police personnel, who were deployed in strength.
Despite this, the protestors shouted slogans, passed the barricades, and walked for nearly one kilometer before their leaders were detained and whisked away in police vehicles.
The protest marked the start of planned campaigning by the Congress to mobilize public support against rising militant attacks, the granting of unbridled powers to the lieutenant governor, and the restoration of full statehood before the assembly elections.
“All tall claims of the BJP, especially post-2019 development, have fallen flat in light of the growing attacks in the otherwise peaceful Jammu region. Giving all powers to the Lt. Governor means governing J&K from Delhi even after the formation of a popular government, which is against democracy,” Solanki told reporters here.
“Jammu region was cleared of militancy during the Congress-led UPA government. The revival of militancy in the peaceful Jammu region is a serious cause for concern and shows the failure of this government,” he added.
Wani also criticized the BJP, stating that five years have passed since the abrogation of Article 370, but there is no end to militancy, which is spreading rapidly to new areas across the region.
“Jammu and Kashmir was known as the crown of India, but the BJP’s policies have destroyed it and dishonored its people. If all the powers remain with the LG, what is the point of holding assembly elections?” he said.
Wani said the Congress will intensify the agitation by taking it to the district headquarters and block level in the coming days.
“We want the revocation of black laws like granting unbridled powers to the Lt. Governor, the return of statehood before the elections, and all necessary measures to end growing militancy,” the Congress leader said.