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A day after the National Conference (NC), the ruling party in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, passed a resolution seeking the restoration of statehood, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) endorsed this “legitimate” demand of the region’s people.

A five-member delegation of the TMC called on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at his official residence in Srinagar to discuss the border situation, especially following the devastating shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC).

After meeting Omar Abdullah this morning, one of the TMC delegation members and Rajya Sabha MP, Sagrika Ghose, strongly reiterated the demand for restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir to fully empower the local government.

Ghose argued that statehood is a legitimate aspiration of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “We firmly believe that statehood must be fully restored to Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.

She added that the TMC believes in the principle of federalism. “The federal principle is ingrained in our Constitution, and therefore, empowering an elected government is an article of faith for us—a legitimate aspiration of the people,” Ghose said.

She further stated that granting statehood would fully empower the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir to initiate developmental and welfare policies for the residents of the region.

Earlier, NC Passed a resolution on statehood

On Wednesday, the working committee of the ruling National Conference passed a resolution calling for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was chaired by party president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with other party leaders.

The Working Committee urged the Government of India to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir immediately, as promised on the floor of Parliament, echoed repeatedly in the public domain, and affirmed by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.

TMC delegation likely to visit border areas

The five-member TMC delegation is expected to visit shelling-affected border areas of Jammu and Kashmir. The delegation is scheduled to visit Poonch town in Jammu, the worst-hit area due to Pakistani shelling. After meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the delegation departed for Poonch.

As reported earlier, more than 50 percent of the buildings in Poonch town have been destroyed by mortar and artillery fire. According to officials, over 100 structures have been damaged in the border areas of Poonch, although a final damage assessment is still underway.

Heavy shelling from Pakistan claimed 13 lives, including four children aged between 7 and 14. A mortar shell that struck Kalni village killed 12-year-old Ayan Khan and his 10-year-old sister, Aruba Khan, when it hit their home. Seven-year-old Mariam Khatoon and 13-year-old Vihaan Bhargav were also among the deceased.

Other victims included 33-year-old Balwinder Kaur, 55-year-old Amrik Singh, 48-year-old Ranjit Singh, and Muslim cleric Qari Mohammad Iqbal—highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the attack.