The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a resolution calling upon the Government of India to immediately restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, amid strong protests by BJP legislators, who staged a walkout during the voting.Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had moved the resolution in the Assembly on Friday, calling for the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.“In addition to the resolutions passed by this House on June 26, 2000, and November 6, 2024, this House calls upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and resolves that this resolution be forwarded to the Government of India,” the resolution stated.The resolution triggered strong protests from BJP legislators, who tore copies of the resolution and raised slogans. The BJP legislators had been objecting since Friday to references to autonomy in the resolution.Related news: Omar Abdullah flags UT constraints, says Law Secy opposed statehood resolutionFour protesting MLAs marshalled out of J&K AssemblyWhile the BJP has maintained that it supports restoration of statehood, Leader of Opposition and senior BJP leader Jattvibeil Sharma accused the National Conference of attempting to revive the 2000 autonomy resolution under the cover of the statehood demand.As Monday’s proceedings began, BJP legislators said they had moved a motion seeking the removal of Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, alleging that he had allowed the resolution to be taken up.Throughout the proceedings, BJP members raised slogans, including “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Speaker sahib, kursi chodo, kursi chodo,” even as the House continued its debate on the resolution.As many as 10 amendments were moved before the resolution was adopted. National Conference legislators proposed amendments, mainly seeking restoration of the constitutional guarantees embodied in Articles 370 and 35A as they existed prior to August 5, 2019.During Monday’s debate, all parties except the BJP supported the resolution. The resolution was subsequently passed by a voice vote in the afternoon.The latest resolution comes nearly two years after the NC-led government passed a resolution in 2024 calling upon the Government of India to initiate dialogue with elected representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for restoration of special status and constitutional guarantees, and to work out constitutional mechanisms for restoring these provisions.Before the resolution was adopted on Monday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was necessary as two years had passed without the restoration of statehood. “We have been waiting for two years for the Central Government to fulfil its promise,” he said.Referring to his repeated requests to the Centre to indicate the “appropriate time” for restoring statehood, Omar asked, “how will we determine that we have reached that point?”Omar also questioned the linking of restoration of statehood with an end to militancy, saying that such a condition would effectively leave the decision to Pakistan.“If the statehood restoration is linked with the militancy and until the guns are silenced, then that means the decision will be made in Islamabad, not New Delhi,” he said.“The Central Government repeatedly says that militancy originated from Pakistan. Pakistan attacked Pahalgam, Uri and Pulwama. Pakistan has carried out militancy here for 35 years. So, when you say that statehood will be restored when the guns are silenced, you are leaving the decision to Pakistan — that whenever the guns are silenced, you will restore statehood to us,” he said.Omar added, “If they have decided this, then it is a very sad thing. Because we have always believed that if this decision has to be made somewhere, it will be made in New Delhi. This decision will not be made anywhere else.”