Chief of Opposition within the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday stated that restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is a precedence for each the Congress social gathering and the INDIA Bloc. The previous Congress president additionally emphasised the social gathering’s purpose to make sure the individuals of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh regain their democratic rights.
“Our precedence, in addition to that of the INDIA bloc, is to reinstate statehood in J-Okay on the earliest. Though we anticipated this might occur earlier than the elections, the declaration of elections is a optimistic step. We’re hopeful that statehood and the democratic rights of the J-Okay individuals will likely be reinstated promptly,” Gandhi stated throughout a press convention following a gathering with social gathering employees.
He famous that it’s unprecedented since Independence for a state to be demoted to a Union Territory (UT).
“Such an occasion is unprecedented. Whereas UTs have been elevated to states, that is the primary occasion of a state being lowered to a UT. Our nationwide manifesto clearly states our dedication to restoring the democratic rights of the individuals of J-Okay and Ladakh,” he added.
Gandhi, together with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, engaged with Congress leaders and employees on Thursday to collect enter on the ground-level preparations for the upcoming meeting elections.
The meeting elections in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to happen in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1, with the vote depend set for October 4.