Will Hit Road If J&K Statehood Not Restored After Polls: Rahul

Jammu: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said restoration of statehood was the “right” of people of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the INDIA bloc will hit the road and use “full force” in Parliament and outside if the Centre fails to restore it after assembly polls.

In an election rally here, he said the 2019 decision to bifurcate the erstwhile state into two Union Territories (UTs) was “a grave injustice” to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “This has never happened in the history of India that we have taken away statehood and transformed a state into a Union Territory,” Gandhi, who is the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, said.

“It should have never happened, and I guarantee you that if the BJP does not restore statehood after the elections, we — the INDIA alliance — will use our full force in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and even take to the streets for the restoration of statehood to J&K,” he asserted. This rally marked Gandhi’s third visit to the region in nearly three weeks, following prior stops in Banihal and Dooru on September 4 and in Surankote and Central-Shalteng on September 23.

His visit comes ahead of the crucial third phase of the assembly elections, with the first round having taken place on September 18 and the second on September 25. Gandhi criticised the current administration for allegedly prioritising “outsiders” over local residents, claiming that the presence of the Lieutenant Governor has marginalised local interests.

“As long as the Lt Governor is there, outsiders will benefit and locals will be sidelined,” he said, arguing that the statehood was revoked to facilitate governance by non-residents. He told the youths that the restoration of statehood is “your right and your future” and J&K cannot move forward without it.