Five Left parties on Monday issued a statement in solidarity with the people of Jammu & Kashmir, demanding that all those detained since August 2019 should be released and communications restored completely to not just uphold constitutional values but also to combat the pandemic.

In the statement timed to the Modi government’s celebrations planned for the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, the Left parties said: “Last year, the Modi government made many tall promises about what this move would accomplish and how it would benefit India and the people of J&K.... A year later, the Government’s promises stand exposed betraying the people of J&K who continue to be caged and silenced.”