CM Omar Abdullah Says NC Awaiting Jantar Mantar Protest Permission

Srinagar, July 10: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said the National Conference (NC) is awaiting permission for its proposed protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, alleging that some individuals were attempting to “sabotage” the party’s programme. The NC has announced a sit-in protest in the national capital on July 20, the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, Abdullah said the party had applied for permission and was still waiting for approval. “On the 20th, a programme is scheduled to take place if we get permission. We are trying to get the permission,” he said. The Chief Minister alleged that while a digital group, the Cockroach Janta Party, received approval for a protest within 24 hours, the NC had been waiting for the past four to five days. Claiming that efforts were being made to disrupt the NC’s plan, Abdullah said, “Some people are engaged in sabotaging our programme. They have changed their dates and matched them with our dates,” without naming anyone. The party has invited 52 leaders from various political and religious organisations across the country to participate in the protest. Among those invited are Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, DMK president M K Stalin, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Arvind Kejriwal, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, K Chandrashekar Rao, Asaduddin Owaisi and Sukhbir Singh Badal. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief C Joseph Vijay, CPI leader D Raja and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal are also among those invited. From Jammu and Kashmir, the invitees include former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, BJP J&K president Sat Paul Sharma, Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari, Peoples Conference chief Sajjad Lone, JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra, CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami, MP Engineer Rashid, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Umar Farooq and Grand Mufti of J&K Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam.