Delay in statehood hampering development: Sadhotra

Jammu, Jun 9: National Conference (NC) Additional General Secretary and Former Minister, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra today said the continued delay in the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is severely obstructing its overall development and undermining the aspirations of its people.

According to a press release, he was addressing a day-long workers convention of Jammu Rural District. Sadhotra emphasised that statehood is not merely a political status but a symbol of the people's dignity and self-esteem. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir are yearning for the restoration of their democratic rights that enable them to live with dignity, decide their own developmental priorities, and shape their collective future.

"Stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood and reducing it to a Union Territory has not only demoted the status of a historically significant and vast region, but also trampled upon its distinct ethos and identity," he said, adding that governance from a distance cannot substitute the sense of empowerment that comes with locally elected and accountable governments. Honouring the popular mandate of the people in this part of the country that has undergone most testing tomes during the past over three decades,” he added.

Sadhotra said that the prolonged absence of an elected government for over five years and bureaucratic style of functioning had created a democratic vacuum and delayed progress on multiple fronts, particularly youth-centric development and employment. “Now that the people have put in place through their power of vote a democratic government under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Jenab Omar Abdullah, it has to be allowed to function as per the aspirations of the people,” he said.