Accuses NC Govt of failing to deliver on electoral promises
Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, June 23
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tarun Chugh on Tuesday said the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would take place “soon”, reiterating a commitment repeatedly made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the region was reorganised in 2019.
“Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will be restored soon, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Chugh, the BJP’s national general secretary and the party’s in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, told reporters during a visit to Srinagar.
The remarks come amid continued political debate over the future constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir following the restoration of an elected government after assembly elections.
The former state was split into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh – after the Centre revoked the region’s special constitutional status under Article 370 in August 2019.
The BJP has consistently maintained that statehood would be restored at an appropriate time after improvements in security and governance.
During his visit, Chugh paid tribute to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary and praised the Modi government’s decision to revoke Article 370, describing it as a step that fully integrated Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India.
He also called on the Jammu and Kashmir government to officially commemorate victims of the 1947 tribal invasion backed by Pakistan and urged authorities to document the events through publications and documentaries.
Chugh criticised the ruling National Conference-led administration, accusing it of failing to deliver on electoral promises and calling on the government to present a “report card” on governance.
He further renewed BJP allegations surrounding the circumstances of Mookerjee’s death in detention in Srinagar in 1953 and criticised the political leadership of the era for supporting special constitutional provisions for Jammu and Kashmir.
Other BJP leaders, including Sat Sharma and Anirban Ganguly, attended the commemorative programme.
