Srinagar, July 10: Leader of Opposition and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Friday said the party will not join the ruling party’s proposed statehood protest at Jantar Mantar, terming it as a mere “eye wash” and an attempt to divert attention from “real issues”.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Sharma, per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), questioned the fate of the Chief Minister’s promised signature campaign for restoration of statehood.
“What happened to the signature campaign for statehood restoration that the Chief Minister had promised last year?” he asked, alleging that the ruling party was using the statehood issue to divert attention from governance failures.
Sharma termed the government’s outsourcing policy an “appointment scam”, alleging that deserving youth were being denied opportunities while appointments were being made through the backdoor.
He demanded an immediate rollback of the policy and warned that the BJP would intensify its agitation if the order was not withdrawn.
He said the proposed movement would begin in Kashmir with ‘a gherao of the Civil Secretariat’ (Surround the Civil Secretariat in protest) and would later be expanded across Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP leader also accused the government of failing to fulfil its election promises, including providing 200 units of free electricity, 10 kilograms of free ration, one lakh jobs and free LPG cylinders.
Responding to a question on whether the BJP would join the NC-led statehood protest in Delhi, Sharma ruled out the possibility, saying the party would not stand with “thieves, fraudsters and murderers.”
He asserted that restoration of statehood remains the BJP’s commitment and said it would come through Parliament, not through protests at Jantar Mantar.
Alleging widespread corruption in several government departments, Sharma claimed that money was being collected through transfers and other official processes.
He urged investigating agencies to probe the allegations, adding his responsibility as Leader of the Opposition was to raise public issues and hold the government accountable—(KNO)
