SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a resolution calling for the “immediate and urgent” restoration of the region’s full statehood, after opposition Bharatiya Janata Party members protested and walked out of the House.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah moved the resolution last Friday, but the vote was delayed after several lawmakers sought to speak and propose amendments. BJP members opposed references to earlier demands for greater autonomy and the restoration of special constitutional status. They entered the well of the House, tore papers and staged mock proceedings before leaving, reported by GK News.
The resolution refers to Assembly resolutions passed in 2000 and 2024 and asks the Indian government to restore full statehood. It was approved by voice vote while the BJP continued its protest.
The vote revived a long-running dispute over Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional position. On August 5, 2019, the Indian government revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which had granted the former state special status, and removed related constitutional protections. The region was also reorganised as two union territories and brought under the direct administration of the central government. Critics argue that the move undermined the autonomy associated with the region’s constitutional relationship with India and violated the spirit of the Instrument of Accession.
The BJP said the resolution’s references to autonomy and special status were unacceptable and amounted to an insult to the Constitution. The party has said it supports the restoration of statehood but opposes linking that demand to the pre 2019 constitutional arrangement.
During the debate, Abdullah asked lawmakers not to press amendments seeking a direct demand for special status. He said the Assembly had already passed separate resolutions on that issue and warned that adding it to the latest text would give the BJP a reason to block the statehood demand.
The resolution now goes to the Government of India, but its passage is unlikely to end the political dispute over Kashmir’s status, autonomy and the balance of power between the region and New Delhi.__Photo courtesy GK News
