BJP reiterates stand on united JK, rejects demand for separate Jammu statehood

Jammu, Jan 24 (PTI) BJP on Saturday reaffirmed its commitment to a united Jammu and Kashmir, firmly rejecting demands raised by some of its party MLAs seeking separate statehood for Jammu after its separation from Kashmir.

The BJP leadership clarified its stand on the sidelines of a day-long workshop organised by the party for its legislators ahead of the Budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly which is scheduled to start on February 2.

“BJP believes in a fully united Jammu and Kashmir, including the parts under the illegally occupied by Pakistan. BJP remains firmly committed to equitable and holistic development of the entire Jammu and Kashmir, ensuring welfare for every citizen without any discrimination based on region, religion, or any other divisive consideration,” BJP national general secretary, incharge JK, Tarun Chugh told reporters.

He was responding about the BJP stand on the demand recently raised by party MLA Sham Lal Sharma and supported by several other leaders including legislator Vikram Randhawa.

Chugh accused National Conference and PDP of propagating “divisive narratives” to create a wedge between the two regions and also claimed that Omar Abdullah government has miserably failed to deliver on its promises made to the people of the Union Territory.

Prominent among others who attended the workshop included BJP J&K president Sat Sharma, former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jairam Thakur, Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly Vijender Gupta, JK Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma, a party spokesman said.

He said the workshop was conducted over multiple structured sessions aimed at enhancing legislative competence, ideological clarity, and organizational coordination among the elected representatives.

Chugh said BJP conducts such workshops at regular intervals to ideologically and organisationally strengthen its office bearers and elected representatives.

“These interactions are crucial to align leaders with the party’s policies, programmes, and vision, while also equipping them to effectively respond to the prevailing socio-political challenges,” he said.

Addressing the workshop, Thakur who is also LoP in Himachal Pradesh, reflected on his long-standing emotional and organisational association with Jammu, recalling his formative years as a party whole-timer.

Presenting a detailed and practical roadmap for MLAs focusing constituency-centric development, he said the MLAs must act as solution-oriented representatives who raise public issues effectively while maintaining the dignity of democratic institutions.

JK BJP president also reiterated that his party considers JK as a single unit and said time is ripe for bringing back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“The politics of NC and PDP is Kashmir centric but we stand firm in our stand that the entire JK including the parts under illegal occupation of Pakistan is a single unit,” he said.

He said the upcoming budget session is likely to be stormy as his party MLAs will highlight the alleged failures of the NC government to meet the expectations of the people.

Interacting with reporters, Leader of Opposition in JK assembly Sunil Sharma also asserted that his party is not in favour of division of the two regions of J&K.

Asked about the recent remarks of the chief minister against him for raising Jammu statehood demand, he said no BJP worker dreams of becoming the Chief Minister.

"I have come from a poor and an ordinary family, and for me the nation, religion and society are supreme. The Chief Minister’s post is not a big thing… In the NC, only members of Abdullah's family can become Chief Minister. Leaders like Ali Mohd Sagar, Abdul Rahim Rather and Mohd Shafi Uri, who gave their lives to the party, saw their aspirations crushed.

“In the NC, only the Abdullah family can dream of holding the CM’s post,” he said.

Lashing out at BJP leaders especially the LoP Sharma for Jammu statehood demand, Abdullah recently said the bifurcation talk is a personal power play.

“If he wants to be Chief Minister, why only Jammu and not JK? If ambition drives him so much, let him contest Jammu municipal elections,” he had said.

Asked about the statement of Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone who supported BJP’s leaders demand for separate Jammu, Sharma said he had only won his own assembly seat in Handwara and therefore he has no justification to talk about the entire JK.

“Let him first expand his party to the 10 districts of Kashmir and then speak about the division. He has got a mandate for his constituency,” he said. PTI TAS TAS NB NB