Srinagar, Sep 23: Stating that he will be the voice of the people of J&K in the Parliament, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, made a strong commitment to push the Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir once assembly elections are concluded.
He said that this was a key priority for the Congress and the INDIA alliance and vowed to intensify efforts towards achieving this goal.
Addressing an election rally in the Zainakote area on the outskirts of Srinagar, Gandhi said that the Congress party’s determination to challenge the BJP-ruled Centre on this issue.
“Whenever you need me, just call, and I will stand by you. I will raise your issues in Parliament. Our bond is special. I don’t even need to spell it out,” Gandhi told the gathering.
“I will be your voice in the Parliament,” he said, highlighting his long-standing connection with the people of J&K.
“Your democratic right was snatched,” Gandhi said. “In India, Union Territories were made into states. States were divided to form new ones. Madhya Pradesh was split to create Chhattisgarh, Bihar to form Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh to form Telangana. But for the first time in the history of our country, a State has been reduced to a Union Territory. The rights of the people have been taken away.”
He identified the restoration of J&K’s statehood as the most pressing issue facing.
“We guarantee that statehood will be restored. If the BJP fails to return it after the elections, the Congress party will make sure that it happens,” Gandhi said.
He did not hold back in his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of ignoring critical issues such as unemployment, inflation, and the need for J&K’s statehood.
“Narendra Modi gives long speeches and does his ‘Mann Ki Baat’. But he does not know how to speak about issues that matter, like removing unemployment, reducing inflation, providing a vision to the youth, and restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” the Lok Sabha LoP said. “These are the matters of importance, but Modi Ji cannot talk about them. Instead, he spends 24 hours talking about ‘Mann Ki Baat.’”
Criticising the current administration in J&K, he said that decisions regarding J&K were being made by “outsiders”, specifically referring to the role of the Lieutenant Governor.
“You are not making decisions for yourselves. Outsiders are making decisions for you. The Lieutenant Governor, who is an outsider and not from J&K, has been made the king here. He has no idea how to facilitate the development that the people want. This is why we are demanding that the people of J&K should elect their leaders and have their government begin working for their own development again,” Gandhi said.
He also touched on the closure of the iconic HMT watch factory, located near the rally venue, accusing the BJP government of shutting down several such industries nationwide.
Gandhi accused PM Modi’s government of catering to a select group of elite businessmen, to the detriment of the general population.
“For 25 businessmen, he waived off loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore, but refuses to help poor farmers, labourers, students, and women. They brought in a flawed GST, pushed demonetisation, and caused the shutdown of small and medium enterprises. The result is that the youth, both in the country and in J&K, are jobless despite holding degrees from colleges and universities. This is PM Modi’s gift to the country – his politics,” he said.
Highlighting the promises in the Congress manifesto, Gandhi pledged to fill 1 lakh vacant government posts, provide Rs 3500 monthly unemployment allowance, offer Rs 3000 monthly assistance to women, interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh for Self-Help Groups (SHGs), mobile clinics in every tehsil, and super speciality hospitals in every district.
“Just like we implemented the health insurance scheme in Rajasthan, we will provide health insurance up to Rs 25 lakh for every family. But the most important issue remains the restoration of your statehood, and we guarantee that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will get it back,” he said.
