Political Parties Observe Black Day on Article 370 Anniversary

Political Parties Observe Black Day on Article 370 Anniversary

Ashiq Butt | August 5, 2024 | 06:23 PM IST | Jammu Kashmir, Politics | Follow on Google News

Political Parties Observe Black Day on Article 370 Anniversary

Political Parties Observe Black Day on Article 370 Anniversary

Key Highlights:

• Congress and PDP held separate rallies marking Article 370 abrogation as a “black day.”
• Leaders criticized the BJP-led government’s handling of terrorism and statehood.
• Protests demanded the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and statehood.

The Congress and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 by holding separate rallies in Jammu, referring to the day as a “black day.”

These protests were aimed at demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and statehood, which were revoked when the state was bifurcated into two union territories on August 5, 2019.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress President Vikar Rasool Wani led the Congress rally, where he harshly criticized the BJP-led central government for its failure to curb terrorism in the region despite assurances that Article 370’s abrogation would bring peace.

Wani, dressed in black as a symbol of protest, led hundreds of Congress workers carrying black flags. The protesters chanted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the BJP, while demanding the restoration of statehood.

Senior Congress leaders, including Choudhary Lal Singh, Raman Bhalla, and Ravinder Sharma, joined Wani in condemning the central government’s actions.

Wani described August 5 as the darkest day in Jammu and Kashmir’s history, accusing the BJP of destroying the region by stripping it of its statehood and dividing it into two union territories.

The PDP, led by general secretary Amrik Singh and spokesperson Virender Singh, also held a protest rally in Gandhinagar, Jammu. Like the Congress, PDP members wore black badges and raised anti-BJP slogans, demanding the reinstatement of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

Both protests were marked by a strong call for the immediate restoration of statehood and a rejection of the BJP’s policies in the region.

Ashiq Butt

Ashiq Butt – is VoM News's senior staffer worked since year 2015 and he deals with correspondency and social media handles. Hailing from Doda's Marmat, Ashiq has strong grip over the collection of the data and it's compiling feature.