BJP Announces Statewide Agitation in J&K, Accuses Omar Govt of Misgovernance

Srinagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday declared that it will launch a sweeping agitation across Jammu and Kashmir, vowing to take to the streets district by district to highlight what it called “misgovernance” and “burning public issues” affecting people in the Union Territory.

The announcement came amid escalating political tensions and a day of high‑voltage protests led by senior party leaders.

Leader of Opposition and in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma told reporters here that the party had convened a meeting of all district presidents and general secretaries, where it was unanimously decided that the BJP, as the principal opposition, must “become the voice of the poor” and confront the government outside the House.

Sharma alleged that the administration was “busy reshuffling and saving its own house” instead of addressing public grievances, insisting that the Omar Abdullah government had grown “completely disconnected from common people.”

Sharma said the BJP had attempted to raise critical issues inside the Assembly but was repeatedly ignored. “The government is far from the poor.

BJP will now fight on the roads and in every district,” he declared, adding that the agitation would be sustained and widespread.

He also alleged that ongoing protests in Delhi were part of a “conspiracy to destabilise the country” by provoking youth unrest similar to situations in Nepal and Bangladesh.

Sharma accused opposition parties of “targeting constitutional authorities,” including the Chief Election Commissioner, to create institutional mistrust.

On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, Sharma reiterated full support, arguing that the removal of dead, shifted or untraceable voters was a legitimate exercise.

He claimed that “illegal voters from Bangladesh and Pakistan” must not be allowed to influence electoral outcomes, dismissing allegations of “vote chori” as politically motivated.

Responding to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s criticism of delimitation, Sharma said the National Conference had been the “biggest beneficiary” of the process.

“If delimitation was wrong, Omar should morally resign,” he asserted.

He further accused the Congress and PDP of “double standards” and attempting to “create anarchy” after losing public support.

Earlier in winter capital Jammu, political temperatures rose sharply as hundreds of BJP activists staged a protest against the Congress, burning an effigy of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and demanding his resignation over the controversy involving Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, who was dismissed by JNU following allegations of sexual harassment.

The demonstration, organised by the BJP’s women’s wing, was led by J&K BJP president Sat Sharma and attended by several MLAs, including Chandra Prakash Ganga, Narinder Singh, Yudhvir Sethi, Devinder Kumar Manyal, Arvind Gupta, Mohan Lal and Vikram Randhawa, along with former minister Priya Sethi.

Protesters gathered near the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Wazarat Road and attempted to march towards the Congress headquarters at Residency Road, but were stopped by police, prompting a sit‑in.

During the protest, activists set ablaze an effigy of Rahul Gandhi.

Sat Sharma accused the Congress of being “anti‑women,” alleging that the party had opposed the proposed legislation for one‑third reservation for women in legislative bodies.

He demanded the expulsion of Akoijam from the Lok Sabha, arguing that his dismissal from JNU should be followed by cancellation of his Parliamentary membership.

Sharma also called on Rahul Gandhi to “clarify his position on the dignity of women,” insisting he must “apologise to the nation or resign.”

BJP MLA Ganga accused the Congress and other opposition parties of trying to “create anarchy” by raising issues such as EVMs to divert attention from development.

He said BJP workers would “stand firm in defence of the country’s unity and integrity.”

MLA Yudhvir Sethi launched a sharp attack on the Congress, accusing it of corruption, dynastic politics and “appeasement,” alleging that the party had misled the public while exploiting the poor. 

With the BJP now preparing for district‑level agitations across Jammu and Kashmir, the political landscape in the Union Territory appears set for a turbulent phase, marked by street‑level confrontations and intensifying rhetoric between the ruling establishment and the opposition.