Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah has been continuously demanding from the Central Government to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. With this demand, he reached Jantar Mantar in Delhi yesterday (Tuesday, 21 July). During this, he protested with the MLAs and ministers. Omar called it the beginning of the fight for the rights and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said restoration of statehood remains an essential basis for reclaiming the region's constitutional rights.
This is the first time that a sitting Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has taken to the streets to protest demanding restoration of statehood. Omar Abdullah's father and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah also participated in the protest. 89 year old Farooq Abdullah stood with the protesters holding a stick in his hand.
Omar Abdullah also targeted the political parties and leaders who did not participate in the protest. Referring to his father's age, he said that even at the age of almost 90, he is standing at the forefront for the rights and respect of Jammu and Kashmir, while some people are just sitting at home and posting on social media.
We were stopped from getting to Jantar Mantar & stopped from protesting peacefully for what is rightfully ours but we were not silenced. This is only the beginning of our struggle for statehood, our rights, our dignity and everything that was taken away from us. pic.twitter.com/tSMwtPLmqI
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 20, 2026
He said, 'The people of Jammu and Kashmir have now understood who are the people who take to the streets, who are the people who are ready to fight and struggle for the rights of the people, for the restoration of their dignity and for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir, and who are the people who work through their mobile phones.'
The Chief Minister said that the protest in Delhi was an open invitation to all political parties of Jammu and Kashmir as restoration of statehood is a common issue of the entire region and not of any one party. He said, 'I am deeply saddened by the fact that those who call themselves sympathizers of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, forget their sympathies on such occasions. And then what do they say? Let us first talk about Article 370.
The NC had called several national leaders and parties, including Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi, to join its demand for restoration of statehood, but only those Congress leaders who are allies of the J&K government were seen accompanying the NC MLAs in the capital. Omar said that although many of them had promised to join the protest, they could not reach the protest site. Omar said, 'Some of them talked to me, but they could not reach there. We had received promises from TMC, NCP, DMK, SP and other parties. Within the INDIA coalition, we were sure that they would join.
Addressing the media in Srinagar, Omar said that only those who take risks have to face failure. Criticizing the parties that stayed away from the protests, he said, “It is easy for those who have not made any efforts to point fingers, oppose us and use social media to degrade us”.
'It is easy for those who have not made any efforts to point fingers, protest and use social media to bring us down,' he said. He claimed that his party had faced a similar situation in 2000 when the NC government passed a resolution on internal autonomy in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. The Chief Minister said, 'I am not concerned about how the Center will react to our protests, but I regret that those who call themselves well-wishers of Jammu and Kashmir forget their sympathies on such occasions'.
VIDEO | Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) lashes out at parties that were invited but did not join the National Conference's protest for statehood. He says, “Not only did nobody join us, but our efforts were also ridiculed.” pic.twitter.com/UW66DxVY3E
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 21, 2026
Omar Abdullah also held a placard in his hand, on which it was written, Restore the rights and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that this protest is the beginning of a broader struggle to restore the rights and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and get back statehood.
He alleged that the protesters were stopped from reaching Jantar Mantar. Sharing a post on social media, he said, 'We were stopped from going to Jantar Mantar and protesting peacefully for our legitimate rights, but our voice could not be suppressed. This is just the beginning of our struggle to get back our statehood, our rights, our dignity and everything that was snatched from us.'
When Omar Abdullah, who was going to protest at Jantar Mantar, was stopped, he took an auto. He has also posted its video on social media in which he and his companions are seen sitting in the auto. Omar wrote that my walk from Jantar Mantar was about to turn into another procession, so we caught the first ride available.
My walk from Jantar Mantar was about to turn into another procession so we grabbed the first available means of transport.
. pic.twitter.com/R8mtp3hk5X
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 20, 2026
In August 2019, the central government had abolished the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and divided the state into two union territories. There was a lot of uproar regarding this. Abdullah is demanding restoration of full statehood. Reminding the Central Government of its promise made in Parliament and the Supreme Court, he asked when would be the 'appropriate time' to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the Center should give a clear answer in this regard.
