JAMMU: Sunil Dimple, the President of Mission Statehood, spearheaded a significant protest in Jammu demanding the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. He called for urgent elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats, municipal corporations, urban local bodies, and panchayats in the region. Addressing the crowd, Dimple urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfill his promises and adhere to the Supreme Court's directives regarding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir as a Dogra state.
Dimple criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not advocating for the restoration of statehood and alleged that their leadership has failed to address pressing issues affecting the youth in Jammu and Kashmir. He pointed out the confusion caused by dual power centers, questioning whether residents should seek assistance from the Lieutenant Governor's office or the civil secretariat.
He demanded that the Chief Election Commission of India, along with local leaders, nominate a representative from Jammu's Dogra community for one of the Rajya Sabha seats. Dimple expressed concern over the lack of constituency development funds allocated to MLAs, despite them receiving luxury vehicles and salaries.
Dimple reiterated his call for immediate local body elections to restore democratic representation at grassroots levels. He also urged Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah to nominate four members for Rajya Sabha and five MLAs from Jammu, emphasizing that there has been no representation for Jammu districts under the current alliance government.
Highlighting ongoing grievances, Dimple insisted on providing essential services such as 200 units of free electricity and 12 LPG cylinders per household while calling for a return to traditional governance practices like the Darbar move by April 2025. He concluded by rallying support from various leaders within his movement to strengthen their fight for statehood and special status under Article 370.
