Srinagar, Sep 28: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday accused the BJP of opposing the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, saying the party’s position was exposed during the Assembly proceedings.

Choudhary said the government had brought the resolution to remind the Centre of its stated commitment to restore statehood to J&K. His remarks came after BJP legislators protested the resolution and later walked out of the House before it was passed.
“BJP’s reality got exposed today,” Choudhary told reporters, asserting that the resolution was aimed at reminding the Centre of its commitments. He said the BJP could have raised its objections through debate in the House instead of disrupting proceedings.
“If BJP had doubts, they should have asked through the mikes. There is democracy and discussion was already listed in the business,” he said.
Questioning the BJP’s objections, Choudhary also referred to the 2019 reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir and asked whether the erstwhile state’s downgrade had involved consultation with its representatives.
He further argued that the present constitutional arrangement had limited the elected government’s control over several institutions, including universities and the cultural academy, and cited this as an argument for restoration of statehood.
Responding to Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma’s repeated reference to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as “Shehzada”, Choudhary said the demand for statehood was for the entire region.
He said restoration of statehood would empower the elected Assembly to take decisions and enable people to secure their rights through their representatives.
The Deputy Chief Minister also said the day’s proceedings had made clear the differing positions of political parties on the statehood issue.
The Assembly on Monday passed the resolution seeking the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after a heated debate and BJP walkout. The resolution was passed by voice vote, with BJP members absent from the voting after their protest.