Kashmir Impulse Desk
Jammu, Oct 1
India’s opposition Congress party on Thursday renewed its demand for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, calling for constitutional safeguards for land, jobs and natural resources and warning of an intensified campaign to press the central government.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) leaders, including working president Raman Bhalla, former minister Mula Ram, chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma and party chief whip in the regional assembly Nizamuddin Bhat, said the government had failed to fulfil repeated commitments on restoring statehood.
Addressing a news conference in Jammu, the leaders accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of reneging on assurances made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in parliament, before the Supreme Court and during public rallies.
The Congress said the passage of a resolution seeking the restoration of statehood in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly reflected public dissatisfaction with the delay and the demand for the region’s constitutional status to be restored.
“The central government and the BJP continuously betrayed the people of J&K by not granting the statehood,” the party leaders said, alleging that the government had failed to honour its commitments over the past seven years.
Bhat said the demand was not for a new concession but for the fulfilment of a public commitment. The Congress was seeking full statehood accompanied by constitutional protections for land and employment, he said.
The party said it would intensify its “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq” (Our State, Our Right) campaign alongside a nationwide opposition INDIA bloc campaign against alleged electoral irregularities, known as “Vote Chori”.
Congress leaders said the INDIA bloc had decided at a meeting on Sept. 30 to launch a nationwide campaign to “Save Democracy” from Oct. 2, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Opposition lawmakers are also scheduled to march to the Election Commission of India on Oct. 6, followed by rallies across the country, they said.
The Congress leaders accused the BJP of diverting public attention from the statehood demand and alleged that the electoral system had been compromised.
They called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to be removed and prosecuted, without providing evidence for the allegations at the news conference.
The JKPCC said it would continue pressing the central government to restore statehood and hold it accountable for its public assurances, adding that the party would not abandon its campaign until its demands were addressed.
