New Delhi, July 12 -- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday sharpened his attack on the Centre over the continued delay in restoring statehood to the Union Territory, asking whether his party should "go to America and protest before (US President Donald) Trump" if its demands could not be addressed in India's own capital. The remark came as Abdullah announced that the National Conference would launch a fresh phase of its statehood campaign with a major protest in New Delhi on 20 July, declaring that the party had waited long enough for the Centre to fulfil its promise.

Addressing a large public gathering at Maharaja Hari Singh Park in Jammu, a traditional Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stronghold, Abdullah accused the Ce...