Srinagar, June 5 -- Opposition parties on Thursday called into question the decision by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister (CM) Omar Abdullah's decision taking the statehood fight to New Delhi, with some of them terming it as belated exercise. While Peoples Conference (PC) chairman Sajjad Lone has called the chief minister's decision as a 'damp squid ', Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, who has been in loggerheads with the government on various issues, has extended his support to the decision. The decision was taken during a meeting of National Conference (NC) legislators held on Wednesday. After the meeting, party chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq had informed that the NC has decided to take their statehood fight to the Capital. "Our primary demand will be the return of our statehood and constitutional guarantees," Sadiq told reporters. He further informed they will hold protest on first day of monsoon session of the Parliament. NC's Srinagar MP, who wasn't invited to the meeting, said that for the rights of J&K and Article 370, he is ready to join any protest. "I am even ready to resign from my seat if the protests are serious about rights. Otherwise, people will think they (NC) are indulging in theatrics," he said. Lone, who is also legislator from Handwara, dismissed the NC's Jantar Mantar plan as an "underwhelming outcome of a grand threat", and asked the chief minister to pass a resolution. "I had thought the CM sahib would do something innovative, something that would shake the corridors of power in Delhi, that would actually qualify as a bombshell. What the ruling party delivered was nothing more than what he called a 'chocolate way of throwing a tantrum' - where well-behaved politicians march to Jantar Mantar in an orderly fashion, complete with personal security details, full media coverage, and the anticipated presence of prominent national figures," Lone said, describing it as a damp squib. "What an underwhelming outcome of so grand a threat." The PC president further accused the National Conference of using the episode as yet another diversionary tactic to draw public attention away from its governance failures and broken election promises. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislative party leader Waheed ur Rehman Parra said his party will respond once the NC formally conveys it to the PDP president. "Unfortunately, the Chief Minister didn't respond to the PDP president's letter for joint efforts on state restoration and other issues." Along with welcoming the NC's decision to take the issue to a national stage, the Awami Itihaad Party, has called it an belated exercise. The AIP chief spokesperson said that while demanding statehood is justified, the NC must explain why it remained largely passive for seven years and why no serious political pressure was mounted on the BJP despite repeated assurances from the Prime Minister and the home minister on the floor of Parliament regarding restoration of statehood. "We sincerely hope this marks the beginning of a sustained and result-oriented struggle. The issue should not stop at statehood alone," he said. President of the People's Democratic Front (PDF) and former Minister, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, said that while it is encouraging, the party must first come clean on what exactly it is seeking from the Centre. "Statehood has already been promised on the floor of Parliament. It is a commitment made by the country's highest leadership, and the Centre must fulfil it without any further delay," Hakeem said. However, he questioned the National Conference's sudden decision to launch an agitation on the issue nearly two years after assuming office. BJP state spokesperson Altaf Thakur said that CM, instead of protesting at Jantar Mantar, should fulfil the promises he made to the people of J&K. "There are many issues in J&K that need to be addressed instead of theatrics."...