Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said his party would not invite other political parties from the Union Territory to join its protest in Delhi seeking the restoration of statehood.
During a brief media interaction in Srinagar, Farooq said, “Whoever wants to join the protest can do so. We are not going to anyone with a begging bowl.”
The National Conference has announced that it will stage a protest in Delhi on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament to press for the restoration of statehood. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has urged INDIA bloc constituents to join the protest.
When asked about unity on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the NC president said, “When it comes to the statehood issue, everyone is united.” When asked about the restoration of statehood and special status, Farooq said, “I am not God. Only Allah knows, and those who are in power in Delhi.”
The former chief minister, who led the erstwhile state during some of its most difficult periods, including the 1990s militancy and the Ikhwan movement, said he was working for the restoration of special status along with statehood.
“We are already fighting for it. What more do you want? We are not silent. We will continue to fight. We have the constitutional right to protest against what has been taken away from us,” he added.
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