Srinagar, July 20: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday extended its full support to the National Conference-led protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, and questioned the Centre over the delay in fulfilling repeated assurances.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, senior CPI(M) leader and MLA M.Y. Tarigami said the protest, joined by Left parties and independent legislators from Jammu and Kashmir, aims to remind the Government of India of commitments made by the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and before the Supreme Court to restore statehood after the delimitation process and Assembly elections.
“We are not asking for the sky. We are simply seeking that the solemn commitments for restoration of statehood be honoured in both letter and spirit,” Tarigami said, adding that restoration of statehood is “a constitutional obligation and a matter of democratic accountability, not a favour.”
He termed the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, as “undemocratic and unconstitutional” and said it violated assurances given to Jammu and Kashmir at the time of its accession. Despite the massive voter participation in the 2024 Assembly elections and the formation of an elected government, he said the Centre had yet to fulfil its promise of restoring full statehood.
Tarigami recalled that during the June 2021 all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Home Minister had assured political leaders that statehood would be restored after delimitation and Assembly elections. Similar assurances, he said, were later given by the Prime Minister ahead of the 2024 Assembly polls and by the Solicitor General before the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.
The CPI(M) leader also said the Centre’s claims of complete peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 did not fully reflect the ground situation. He stressed that the growing trust deficit could only be addressed through meaningful engagement with the people and political stakeholders.
He said there was a rare consensus among political parties across ideological lines on the demand for restoration of full statehood and urged the Centre to respect the collective democratic voice of Jammu and Kashmir.
Tarigami also expressed concern over the treatment of education reformer and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has expressed solidarity with students protesting at Jantar Mantar over alleged NEET examination irregularities and demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister. He said such developments raise serious questions about the democratic space available for peaceful protest.
