Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday urged the BJP government to open talks with students protesting at Jantar Mantar against the paper leak issue, saying the growing unrest among youth cannot be ignored and deserves a political response rather than confrontation.
Welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of fast-track courts for paper leak cases, Omar said legal action alone would not address students’ grievances and stressed that the government must engage directly with the protesters to find a solution.
“You have to sit down and talk to them somewhere. You can’t ignore so many youths”.
Referring to the ongoing protests in Delhi, the Chief Minister said the scale of the demonstrations had increased over time and said that tear gas had been used around Jantar Mantar also on Wednesday night.
“When there was the first program of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, and only a few people attended, some people started mocking it. Now the situation in Delhi is before you. A large part of New Delhi is closed today. Even last night, tear gas had to be used around Jantar Mantar”, he said.
Omar said there was a sense of resentment among young people which he said had been ignored until now. Welcoming the Prime Minister’s remarks that the youth were important, he said it would be a positive step if the government held discussions with students regarding their concerns.
“Now, this is a good thing that the Prime Minister has said in his post that young people are important, and it would be a good thing to talk to them about their concerns”, Omar said.
Earlier, in a post on X, PM Modi stated that those involved in compromising the future of the youth “will not be spared”, adding that relevant authorities have been directed to take all necessary measures.
“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. Have directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard. This continues our series of steps for safeguarding the interests of students. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared”, PM Modi wrote.