Ruling NC decided to stage protest in Delhi for statehood, constitutional guarantees

A group of National Conference MLAs entered the residence of J&K CM Omar Abdullah on June 3, 2026. | Photo credit: Imran Nissar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday (June 3, 2026) presided over a marathon meeting of his lawmakers in Srinagar “to dismantle the 19-month National Conference (NC) government” and decided to stage a protest in Delhi during the monsoon session of Parliament against the demand for statehood and constitutional guarantees.

“The NC Legislature Party has decided to go to Delhi and protest on the first day of the monsoon session. It is time for our leadership to go to Delhi and talk to the people there. We will press for the restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees for Jammu and Kashmir,” said Tanvir Sadiq, NC legislator and spokesperson, after a day-long marathon meeting in Srinagar’s Dachigam protected forest area.

Mr. Sadiq said the NC leadership during the meeting emphasized the need to “intensify efforts to restore what was taken away from Jammu and Kashmir after the 2019 constitutional amendments” when the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories and seven decades of special status were abolished.

The meeting, which was attended by all the 42 NC legislators, also took stock of the relationship between the NC and the Congress, which soured after the Omar Abdullah government came to power in 2024. Congress decided against entering the government until statehood was restored.

“There was a tricky discussion on all the important issues. The relationship between the Congress and the government was also discussed. The Chief Minister listened to everyone patiently and all the legislators participated in the proceedings,” Sadiq said.

Various problems

Mr. Sadiq said that a variety of issues were raised and discussed during the marathon, including development issues, drug abuse and specific matters related to the Jammu, Kashmir, Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley regions.

On the likely expansion of the cabinet by the three vacant ministerial berths, Mr Sadiq said: “It was the chief minister’s prerogative. He will take a decision whenever he thinks fit.”

Earlier in the day, Mr Abdullah took all the legislators to the Dachigam forbidden forest destination in Srinagar in special vehicles. “We’re going off-site to spend the day taking stock of the past 19 months – the good, the not-so-good and everything in between,” Mr Abdullah said in a post on X.

The meeting came as a result of the ruckus in NC. There is pressure from NC legislators to expand ministerial berths. Many NC legislators said the eight-seat Srinagar district remained unrepresented in the cabinet. Several NC legislators are also unhappy with operating under a dual power system, with the Lt. Governor holding significant powers. Many blamed Mr. Abdullah for not establishing the elected government’s mandate over the bureaucracy.

The meeting also came at a time when former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti wrote a letter to Mr Abdullah to “initiate a united front” in Jammu and Kashmir to pressurize Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to push for a dialogue with the people. However, there has been no formal response to the letter from Mr. Abdullah yet.

Published – 03 Jun 2026 14:39 IST