NC's Jantar Mantar protest exposes its separatist mindset, diverts attention from governance failures: BJP
BJP questions NC's silence on PoJK, while using statehood as divertive tool
10/07/2026
Jammu, July 10 (KIP)-J&K BJP addressed a press conference at party headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, on the National Conference's proposed dharna at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.
Former MLC and BJP spokesperson Girdhari Lal Raina, and BJP spokesperson Ankit Gupta, in the presence of BJP Media In-charge Dr. Pardeep Mahotra addressed the press conference.
Dr. Pardeep Mahotra, while introducing the subject and the speakers, described the issue as one of immense public importance and explained the circumstances that compelled the BJP to place the facts before the people.
Girdhari Lal Raina, while addressing the media, said that the National Conference has once again exposed its true political character. Instead of governing Jammu and Kashmir and fulfilling the promises made to the people, it has chosen to stage a political spectacle at Jantar Mantar. The reported invitation extended to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, former Chairman of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, to participate in the so-called statehood protest has unmasked the ideological mindset of the National Conference.
He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have every right to ask: What kind of statehood is the National Conference demanding? Is it a statehood meant to accelerate development, create employment, strengthen democratic institutions and deepen national integration, or is it intended to revive the politics of separatism, appeasement and instability that plunged Jammu and Kashmir into decades of terrorism, bloodshed and suffering?
Raina said that from attempting to legitimise voices associated with separatism to repeatedly creating controversies over material perceived as glorifying terrorists and anti-national elements, the National Conference has consistently sent disturbing signals regarding its political priorities. Rather than standing unequivocally with the nationalist aspirations of the people, it has continued to flirt with narratives that have historically weakened India's sovereignty in Jammu and Kashmir.
Highlighting what he termed the National Conference's hypocrisy, Raina pointed out its complete silence on the systematic denial of democratic rights and brutal repression of the people living in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir. While its leaders repeatedly advocate engagement with Pakistan, they refuse to utter a single word against Pakistan's illegal occupation, human rights violations and suppression of democratic freedoms in PoJK. Their selective outrage exposes the bankruptcy of their politics, he said.
Questioning the timing of the protest at New Delhi, Raina expressed fear that this may help narrative of Pakistani establishment and Pakistani Army at international level.
Ankit Gupta stated that the BJP's position on statehood is absolutely clear. The restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is a solemn commitment made by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah. That commitment will be honoured at an appropriate time, keeping in view the larger national interest, security considerations and the developmental requirements of the Union Territory. Unlike the National Conference, the BJP does not use the issue of statehood for political blackmail or emotional exploitation.
Gupta asserted that instead of staging political dramas in New Delhi, the National Conference should return to Srinagar and answer the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It should explain why unemployment continues to rise, why governance has become ineffective, why several electoral promises remain unfulfilled and why the common citizen continues to suffer despite the party being in government. He alleged that the Jantar Mantar protest is merely an attempt to divert public attention from the failures of the Omar Abdullah government and the growing internal factionalism within the National Conference.
The BJP leaders said that the era of exploiting public emotions, encouraging ambiguity on separatism and surviving on the politics of fear is over. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have decisively chosen the path of peace, democracy, development and national integration. No amount of political theatrics or symbolic protests can reverse this irreversible journey.