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SRINAGAR — JULY 12, 2026: Asserting that genuine prosperity and progress in Jammu and Kashmir are inextricably linked to the return of its provincial status, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary declared that true “Acche Din” (good days) will remain elusive for the Union Territory until full statehood is officially restored. Addressing the pressing socio-economic challenges of the region, Choudhary highlighted rampant unemployment as a critical crisis gripping local households, noting that nearly every family is currently struggling with jobless youth. He urgently appealed to the Central Government to fulfill the long-standing aspirations of the public by reversing the 2019 administrative downgrading without further delay, framing the demand not merely as a political stance but as a collective directive from the people.
To aggressively press this demand on the national stage, the ruling National Conference has finalized plans to shift its agitation to the union capital later this month. Choudhary announced that all elected National Conference legislators, cabinet ministers, and senior party leadership will travel to New Delhi to stage a high-profile protest demonstration and dharna (sit-in) at Jantar Mantar on July 20, 2026. This coordinated demonstration marks a significant escalation in the party’s ongoing democratic campaign to reclaim the statehood that was revoked during the August 2019 reorganization of the erstwhile state into the distinct Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, signaling the government’s resolve to keep the constitutional status of the region at the forefront of the national political discourse.