Senior National Conference leader Devender Rana on Saturday said the people of Jammu were craving for separate statehood and had never thought of being relegated to a Union Territory. "Jammu had never demanded Union Territory.

People wanted a separate state. If the BJP cared so much for Jammu's aspirations, they should have conceded people's fundamental demand for separate statehood for Jammu. Perhaps they would have been happier", he told a reporter when asked about BJP's concern for Jammu people.

To a question on BJP's slogan about Hindu Chief Minister from Jammu, the National Conference leader said that nobody had stopped them from realizing this dream in 2014. He said that it is not time for sloganeering when people of Jammu and Kashmir were suffering.

"Time has come when we must rise above politics; strengthen unity among people and between the various regions of J&K. We must work for strengthening democracy and mitigating sufferings of people", he said and emphasized the crucial need of strengthening the nation and Jammu and Kashmir. "We must all work for the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir", he added.