Congress reminds Indian PM of promise to restore IIOJK statehood
New Delhi: The Congress has announced to intensify its movement for the restoration of the statehood to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which, it said, was directed by the Supreme Court of India and repeatedly committed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the people of the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, senior party leaders, including party general secretary G A Mir, addressing a press conference in New Delhi said that the common man was suffering in the territory as he was being tossed between the Chief Minister’s secretariat and the Raj Bhawan.
G A Mir recalled that in June 2021, Prime Minister Modi had called a meeting of the representatives of all the political parties of IOJK and suggested delimitation, election and then restoration of statehood – in that order. He said, although most of the political representatives had demanded the restoration of statehood before elections, he (PM) had insisted on delimitation, followed by elections, and then statehood.
He said, “The Congress has, since August 5, 2019, maintained that the statehood to IOJK must be restored. Besides, Rahul Gandhi while wrapping up his 4000 km Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar along with the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, had also committed that the party would ensure restoration of statehood.”
He thanked the Congress leadership for prioritising the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the Monsoon session.
Speaking on the occasion, general secretary in-charge IIOJK and Ladakh Dr Naseer Hussain pointed out, it was unprecedented that the powers of the elected representatives were with unelected people like the Lieutenant Governor. He said, “Once the powers are restored to the elected government, only then will the people of J&K come to know what sort of scams took place during the regime of unelected people- like the sand and land scams.”
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh disclosed that although the Congress was the coalition partner of the ruling National Conference, the party had taken a principled stand not to join the government till the statehood was restored. He said the Congress made certain promises to people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including the restoration of statehood, and it was working towards that by launching a mass movement.
He also demanded that the Union Territory of Ladakh be made like the UTs of Delhi and Puducherry with its own elected legislature.
