New Delhi, July 20: Declaring that the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood is only the first step in the National Conference’s political campaign, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday asserted that the fight would eventually extend to the restoration of the region’s special constitutional status, accusing the Centre of forcing his party to protest in the national capital.

“First statehood and then the restoration of special status,” Abdullah declared, making it the central political message of the National Conference (NC) protest in Delhi.

The demonstration, led by Omar Abdullah and NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah, sought to press the Centre to fulfil its repeated assurances to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, nearly two years after the Assembly elections.

Omar Abdullah had briefly travelled to Jammu earlier in the day to assess the situation following flash floods before returning to Delhi to join the protest.

Protest disrupted

The demonstration began at Jantar Mantar but was disrupted after permission for the gathering was denied. NC leaders later attempted to move towards the Constitution Club. Omar Abdullah alleged that police used tear gas as leaders and workers sought to continue the protest.

Addressing reporters, the Chief Minister said the National Conference had exhausted all other avenues before deciding to protest in Delhi.

“We were forced to protest in Delhi for statehood by the Centre. We have been continuously reminding the Centre of their promises for the past two years. We asked them to fulfil the promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and before the Supreme Court.”

He said the party’s agenda remained unchanged since the first sitting of the elected Assembly.

“We had passed a special resolution in the Assembly on the very first day demanding statehood and the restoration of the special position, special status and constitutional rights promised to us. We won’t leave our agenda.”

Calling the protest the beginning of a sustained political campaign, Abdullah added:

“We have staged this protest to remind the Centre of their promises. Everything will start from here. First statehood and then the restoration of special status.”

‘Democracy is being strangled’

Omar Abdullah accused the authorities of denying even a peaceful demonstration in the national capital.

“We have come to the capital of our country to demand what is rightfully ours. Unfortunately, even here we are not being allowed to hold a peaceful protest. Democracy is being strangled.”

He continued:

“Around 50, 60, at most 100 people came from Jammu and Kashmir with the hope that we would sit at Jantar Mantar, stage a peaceful protest, and demand our rights from the Central Government.”

Referring to the Centre’s assurances, Abdullah said:

“We wanted to remind the Central Government of the promise it made in Parliament and before the Supreme Court—that statehood would be restored immediately after the elections. The Supreme Court’s direction was ‘as soon as possible, at the earliest.’ That means Jammu and Kashmir should be granted statehood again without delay.”

Questioning the government’s repeated references to an “appropriate time” for restoring statehood, he said:

“If the Government does not intend to comply with the Supreme Court’s direction, then it should say so openly—that it has no intention of restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Fine. After that, we will decide what course of action we need to take.”

He added:

“But instead, we are repeatedly told that it will happen at the ‘appropriate time.’ No one explains to us what this ‘appropriate time’ actually means.”

Explaining why the protest was shifted to Delhi, Abdullah said:

“That is why, compelled by the circumstances, we have come to Delhi today. We are people living in a far-flung corner of this country, and the rest of the nation often pays little attention to us. So we came here today to remind the Central Government of the promises it made.”

Describing the events that followed, he said:

“We were trying to go to the Constitution Club because we thought that if not at Jantar Mantar, then at least there we would be able to present our views. But here too, along with others, we were targeted with tear gas. It is deeply unfortunate.”

Farooq Abdullah reminds Centre of its promise

National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah said the protest was intended to remind the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister of commitments made in Parliament, before the Supreme Court and to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We are fighting for the full restoration of statehood. It is a promise made by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister—in Parliament, before the Supreme Court, and to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We are here today to remind them: please restore our complete statehood.”

Deputy CM: Nearly two years have passed

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said the protest reflected growing frustration over the delay in restoring statehood.

“It is the misfortune of the people of Jammu and Kashmir that today we have had to come to Delhi to stage a protest and remind our Prime Minister and Home Minister of the promise they made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir—that statehood would be restored after the elections.”

He added:

“Today, it has been nearly two years, yet the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have not fulfilled that promise.”

Choudhary said the National Conference, the Congress and allied parties had come together to remind the Centre of its commitment.

“This is a promise they must fulfil. They made it in Parliament. They made it before the Supreme Court. They made this promise to every single person in Jammu and Kashmir—that statehood would be restored.”

Questioning the government’s repeated assurances, he asked:

“They keep talking about restoring statehood at an ‘appropriate time.’ We have come to Delhi today to ask one question: When will that appropriate time come?”

Other leaders join protest

National Conference MP Sajjad Kichloo said the presence of elected representatives on the streets of Delhi reflected public sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The elected government and the representatives chosen by the people are out on the streets of Delhi today. This itself shows how upset the people of Jammu and Kashmir truly are.”

AAP MLA Mehraj Malik also backed the demand for restoring statehood.

“Every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir wants statehood. No MLA has come here for personal reasons. We are here to represent the sentiments of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”

He said the mandate given by the people had been undermined and argued that promises made after the abrogation of Article 370 had not been fulfilled.

“This struggle for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir will continue,” Malik said.

New Delhi, Jul 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a veiled dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while hailing young innovators behind India’s first privately developed orbital rocket, saying he was not talking about a “56-year-old young man”.

Addressing reporters ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, he said in the past month, the country has achieved many milestones, filling citizens with pride and these achievements span national, international, and even space domains.

He said there have been moments of glory just before the Monsoon Session last year as an Indian citizen reached the International Space Station and only the day before yesterday, a young Indian start-up accomplished an extraordinary feat.

He was referring to Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday launching the country’s first private orbital rocket Vikram-1 and successfully placing multiple technology-demonstration payloads into the desired orbit, making India the third country with private orbital launch capabilities after the US and China.

Modi said there are only a handful of countries in the world where private enterprises have demonstrated such capability and Indian young innovators have taken the country’s aspirations to new heights in space, and this is a truly remarkable achievement.

“I am told that the average age of the team working at the Skyroot start-up is just 28 years. It is these young minds who have made this possible. I am not talking about a 56-year-old young man; I am talking about a start-up whose team, with an average age of just 28, has planted India’s flag in the realm of space,” he said.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, turned 56 on June 19 this year.

The prime minister also said that the youth certainly deserve the country’s heartfelt congratulations.

“More importantly, such achievements instil immense confidence in our nation and further strengthen India’s standing as a respected and trusted partner in the world,” he said.

New Delhi, Jul 20: Forces resorted to a baton-charge near Parliament Street after thousands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protesters allegedly tried to breach barricades while marching towards Parliament on Monday.

At around 11.25 am, protesters attempted to push through multiple barricades erected in the high-security zone, sources said.

A scuffle-like situation ensued, in which some protesters and police personnel sustained minor injuries, they said.

Around 10-15 protesters were said to have been detained, sources said.

A heavy deployment of uniformed police personnel, along with officers in plain clothes, was in place across the area to maintain law and order and prevent protesters from moving towards Parliament, according to sources.

New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma, however, stated that not even a single Delhi Police personnel has used force on protesters so far.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will begin its participation in the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) premier multinational air combat exercise, Exercise Pitch Black 2026, at RAAF Base Darwin from Sunday.

The biennial exercise, scheduled from July 20 to August 7, brings together air forces from across the world for complex multinational air combat operations and large force employment missions.

Named after its focus on night flying over the sparsely populated regions of northern Australia, this year’s edition marks one of the largest in the exercise’s 45-year history in terms of participating forces.

The IAF contingent comprises pilots, engineers, technicians, controllers and other specialists. India will deploy its Rafale multirole fighter aircraft, supported by C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft and IL-78 aerial refuelling aircraft in combat support roles.

According to the IAF, the exercise will provide an opportunity to enhance interoperability with partner air forces, strengthen force integration and exchange operational best practices for conducting multinational air operations in complex scenarios.

The exercise will also help validate expeditionary air operations over extended distances while deepening professional partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region through realistic and challenging operational missions. The IAF has previously participated in the 2018, 2022 and 2024 editions of Exercise Pitch Black, underscoring India’s continued commitment to strengthening defence cooperation and promoting regional security in the Indo-Pacific.