LOP Sunil Sharma attacks NC over statehood demand
Jammu, Feb 3: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the National Conference, accusing it of a “U-turn” on the statehood issue for Jammu and Kashmir following public pressure.
Sharma claimed the NC faced severe backlash from its own constituents in the Kashmir Valley after the party did not raise the demand for statehood during the Governor’s Address in the Assembly on Monday.
“The National Conference was criticized when people in Kashmir saw that they did not demand statehood,” Sharma said. “They received phone calls from Kashmir all night from their workers. In the morning, they stood here to demand statehood.”
The BJP leader framed the grant of statehood as a commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting the NC’s demand was opportunistic. “Statehood will come only when Narendra Modi’s commitment is there,” he stated.
He questioned the NC’s historical stance, contrasting it with the BJP’s agenda. “Your agenda was Article 370. Your agenda was Article 35-A. Your agenda was to rename Shankaracharya Hill as Takht-e-Sulaiman. From where will you get statehood? This is our agenda. This is Narendra Modi’s agenda,” Sharma asserted.
He further emphasized that the demand for statehood is a public mandate, stating, “The people are demanding it. And they should demand it.” (KNS)
