National Conference invites 52 leaders to Jantar Mantar protest for Jammu & Kashmir statehood

Jammu and Kashmir’s National Conference (NC) president Dr. Farooq Abdullah has written to 52 senior political figures—including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, M. K. Stalin, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray, Arvind Kejriwal, and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq—to join a peaceful, democratic demonstration at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20, the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session.

The protest aims to press the Union Government to fulfill its earlier parliamentary assurances and restore Jammu & Kashmir’s full statehood, which was removed in August 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated and the region was split into two Union Territories. NC leaders say the continued delay undermines India’s federal structure and the democratic mandate of J&K voters, who elected a state government in 2024 led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The Mirwaiz has backed the protest, calling for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35‑A, the release of political prisoners, and a peaceful resolution to the region’s conflict. NC emphasises that the demand is not partisan but a defence of constitutional federalism.