Srinagar: The National Conference and the Communist Party of India-Marxist chose not to attend the Union Territory Foundation Day event scheduled in Srinagar. The event was organized to commemorate the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the event was led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and was intended to mark the anniversary of the revocation. The National Conference, led by Chief Spokesperson and MLA Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq, has expressed its opposition to the event. Sadiq described the 2019 revocation of the region’s special status as “unconstitutional and immoral.” He emphasized the party’s commitment to restoring statehood, stating, “We want that the statehood of [occupied] Jammu and Kashmir be restored as soon as possible so we can enjoy our status as a full-fledged state, like others in India.”

Sadiq also criticized the discontinuation of the historical ‘darbar move’ between the Jammu and Kashmir regions, describing it as an essential aspect of the region’s heritage disrupted by the Bharatiya Janata Party. He pledged to address these issues in accordance with the party’s manifesto.

CPI-M senior leader and MLA Kulgam, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, shared similar views, referring to the event as an inappropriate endorsement of “assaults on constitutional rights.” Tarigami criticized the restrictions imposed on Jammu and Kashmir during the 2019 transition, asserting, “This shows how J and K was treated by New Delhi. The denial of rights should not be celebrated.”