Srinagar/Jammu, March 9 The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress staged protests against the BJP-led central government on Monday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the trade deal with the US.
The party also demanded the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
In Srinagar, a large number of Congress workers and leaders gathered at the J-K Pradesh Congress Committee office on M A Road and shouted slogans against the Modi government.
The protesters, led by MLA Bandipora Nizamuddin Bhat, had planned to march from the party office to M A Road to protest outside. However, a police contingent stopped the protesters and sealed the entrance to the party office, preventing them from marching outside.
Speaking to reporters, Bhat said the government has "compromised" the country's image and its sovereignty.
"The simple consequence of the trade deal is that it is for the first time that India's sovereignty and image have been compromised. It will have far-reaching consequences," he said.
Bhat said the Indo-US trade deal will have economic repercussions.
"The country's economic situation is in very bad shape; we are in a bit of recession. With this deal, we are not harming the ordinary individual; we are harming the country's economic base," he said.
Bhat said the government does not care about the Constitution, the sovereignty of the country, about policies and relations with other countries, the poor, and the identity of J-K.
"We have compromised our integrity, the security of the state, and our image as a country of competing strength. In one word, this policy is an atrocious attitude that will not serve this country well," he added.
Bhat also said the country should have stood in support of Iran and against the US and Israel's "barbarism".
In Jammu, a large number of Congress activists and leaders gathered outside the party headquarters at Shaheedi Chowk along the Residency Road, but were not allowed to move forward by the police, which was deployed in strength to maintain law and order.
The workers, including women, were carrying placards reading "Restore Statehood" and "Our State, Our Right" and also raised slogans against the Modi government and the India-US trade deal.
Launching a sharp attack on the Centre, Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Ahmed Karra alleged that the prime minister had "destroyed India's global standing" and weakened institutions that once defined the country's foreign policy.
"India was a champion of the Non-Aligned Movement and regional cooperation platforms like SAARC, but today the country's image has been demeaned. The prime minister's conduct has brought down the honour and dignity of the office," he alleged.
He alleged that the government was compromising India's interests in its dealings with global powers.
"They are even dictating terms on whether India should buy oil from Russia. Such decisions about our trade and energy security cannot be dictated by other countries," he said.
The Congress leader accused the prime minister of making an "abject surrender" in international dealings and reiterated the party's demand that Modi step down.
"The US and Israel have videos of Modi and are blackmailing him. He is compromised and must step down," Karra alleged.
During the protest, demonstrators also set ablaze flags of the United States and Israel as a mark of protest.
Karra said the party had planned protests across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir coinciding with the ongoing Budget session of Parliament, but alleged that police did not allow peaceful demonstrations in certain districts of the Kashmir Valley.
He claimed that Congress workers in several districts of the valley were either detained or placed under house arrest, terming it a curtailment of democratic rights.
"Our constitutional right to protest is not being allowed. This is not democracy but autocracy and a replica of the Nazi era," he said.
Karra reiterated the party's demand for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
"Restoration of statehood is our stated stand, and we are reiterating it. We are not begging from anyone nor seeking any favour. Our constitutional guarantees must be restored to us," he said, asserting that the party would continue its struggle until statehood is restored.
The Congress leader also criticised the Centre over rising prices, including the hike in LPG, saying the increases would further burden crores of people and worsen the economic situation in the country.
