Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raman Suri has criticised the National Conference (NC) for repeatedly politicising the issue of restoration of statehood to Jammu Kashmir, saying the ruling party was raising a settled issue only to divert attention from its failures in governance. Suri said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah have repeatedly, including on the floor of Parliament, assured that Jammu Kashmir will regain statehood at an appropriate time.
"There is no ambiguity over the Centre's commitment. The National Conference should stop misleading people by projecting statehood as an issue requiring daily political mobilisation. When the Prime Minister and the union home minister have given repeated assurances, what purpose does NC's posturing serve except political distraction?" he asked. He also noted that even the NC's own Member of Parliament had refused to join the party's protest at Jantar Mantar, saying the party should introspect instead of indulging in political theatrics.
Suri said the Omar Abdullah-led government should focus on delivering on the mandate given by the people rather than agitating over matters outside its administrative jurisdiction. He said the government must prioritise employment generation, infrastructure development, better civic amenities, efficient municipal services, quicker administration, resolution of employees' grievances and transparent governance instead of neglecting day-to-day governance.
Highlighting the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government after the abrogation of Article 370, Suri said the Centre has dismantled the ecosystem of separatism, curbed militancy and corruption, strengthened grassroots democracy, improved infrastructure, boosted tourism and created an environment conducive to investment. "The Modi government's biggest achievement has been restoring the confidence of ordinary citizens," he said.
He alleged that the NC's urgency over statehood stemmed less from public interest than from its desire to regain control over the bureaucracy, police and administrative institutions currently functioning independently to maintain peace and stability. "The BJP believes national security, public safety and lasting peace cannot become casualties of political expediency," he asserted.
Recalling the NC's political legacy, Suri said its decades in power witnessed the rise of terrorism, separatist violence, stone-pelting, economic stagnation and the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit community. "The people have not forgotten who governed Jammu Kashmir when terrorism spread, separatist networks flourished, development stagnated and generations of youth were pushed into uncertainty. Those who failed to preserve peace then have little moral authority to question a government that has substantially restored normalcy," he said.
Reiterating the BJP's stand, Suri said the party remains fully committed to restoring statehood in accordance with its constitutional promise, but only when the security situation and national interest permit. "Our position has always been clear and consistent. Statehood will certainly be restored, but not at the cost of compromising the hard-earned gains against terrorism and separatism. Until the terror ecosystem is completely dismantled and every attempt to revive violence is defeated, the Centre will continue to act with caution and responsibility. National interest cannot be subordinated to the political compulsions of any regional party," Suri said.