Srinagar, July 20: Senior CPI(M) leader and MLA on Sunday expressed support for the National Conference-led protest in New Delhi, demanding restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. He said restoration of statehood was not a concession but a constitutional obligation and a matter of democratic accountability. The CPI(M) leader criticised the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, terming it “undemocratic and unconstitutional”, and said that despite large public participation in the 2024 Assembly elections, the demand for restoration of statehood remained pending. The CPI(M) leader said lasting peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir required meaningful engagement with stakeholders and addressing the trust deficit. He added that CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby and J&K CPI(M) secretary Mohammad Abbas Rather were participating in the protest in Delhi.