Regional National Conference president and former chief minister, Farooq Abdullah Sunday said that people of Jammu and Kashmir have to be ready to make “sacrifices” like farmers protesting the farm laws did, for restoring special status of the erstwhile state.
“The Centre repealed (three) farm laws after the sacrifices by over 700 farmers. We may also have to offer similar sacrifices to get back the rights that have been snatched from us by the Centre,” Abdullah said while addressing party workers at Naseembagh mausoleum of his father and the NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his 11th birth anniversary.
"Remember this, we have promised to get back (Articles) 370, 35A and statehood and we are ready to make any sacrifice,” he asserted.
However, Octogenarian Abdullah said that he does not support violence and asked the party cadre to remain steadfast and in touch with the people on ground in every locality of the Union Territory (UT).
The protests against three farm laws, passed by the Center last year, first began as sporadic demonstrations in Punjab in October 2020 but snowballed into a full-blown political uprising against the Modi government, spreading to several states in the course of a year, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Over 700 protesting farmers reportedly lost their lives during the year-long struggle in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Finally succumbing to the pressure of farmers’ agitation, the Prime Minister announced the repeal of three controversial farm laws on November 19.
Abdullah also questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent statement that post abrogation of Article 370, J&K was witnessing peace and tourism. “If tourism is picking up in Kashmir, what does that mean? Is tourism everything? What about the 50,000 jobs you promised? Where are those jobs? In fact, you are terminating those in service,” he asked.
Abdullah, who represents Srinagar Parliament constituency in the Lok Sabha, also raked up the recent controversial Hyderpora encounter in which three civilians were killed in an alleged fake encounter, during his speech.
“It was after massive resistance by the families of three slain persons of Hyderpora encounter that the police and the administration had to exhume bodies of two and hand them over to their families. The body of the third innocent is yet to be handed over to his family,” he said and asked party men to start public outreach programs.
The former Chief Minister also spoke about the pressure on media outlets, stating that if anyone writes anything “they don’t like, they are called to police stations.”
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