JAMMU/SRINAGAR, September 30, 2026 – The Jammu and Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) orchestrated massive, coordinated protests across all district headquarters and major towns in the Union Territory on Wednesday, intensifying its political offensive against the National Conference (NC)-led Government. The widespread demonstrations were triggered by the Assembly’s recent passage of a Statehood resolution, which drew severe ire from the BJP for simultaneously including references to the 2000 autonomy resolution and the 2024 special-status resolution.
In Jammu, a major protest was led by District President Adv. Rajesh Gupta at Kachi Chawni Chowk, where BJP activists publicly torched an effigy representing the NC Government. The demonstration saw the active participation of prominent leaders, including Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore Sharma and former MLC Adv. Vibodh Gupta. Addressing the gathering, Vibodh Gupta challenged the ruling government to explain the necessity of attaching earlier autonomy and special-status references to a resolution ostensibly focused on Statehood. “The NC Government cannot use the genuine demand for Statehood as a vehicle to reopen constitutional issues that have already been settled,” a party spokesperson stated, warning against the deliberate linking of these distinct matters. The BJP emphasized that Statehood and the pre-1953 agenda are two entirely separate matters and accused the NC of misleading the public to distract from its alleged failures in providing basic governance.
Similar strong protests reverberated throughout the Jammu region, including demonstrations in Samba led by BJP Vice-President Rashpaul Verma, as well as in Kathua, Basohli, Ramban, and Kishtwar. In the Kashmir Valley, the BJP mobilized its cadre across seven districts, including Srinagar, Shopian, Anantnag, Baramulla, and Ganderbal. Senior leaders such as Altaf Thakur and Arif Raja spearheaded the Valley protests, where an effigy of the NC Government was also torched in Srinagar. The BJP leadership reiterated that it will continue its democratic agitation against the NC government and demanded that the newly elected Assembly concentrate its efforts on developmental initiatives and public welfare rather than reviving settled constitutional controversies.
Published by True Roots Media Network