Opposition will fight for J&K statehood in Parliament, on streets: Rahul Gandhi

JAMMU: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi issued a stern warning to BJP-led Union government Wednesday, vowing that the opposition INDIA bloc will “hit the road and use full force” both inside Parliament and outside if J&K’s statehood is not restored after the ongoing assembly elections. The three-phase elections will wrap up on Oct 1, with votes counted on Oct 8.

Addressing a rally in Jammu, Gandhi reiterated the primary election promise of the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance, saying the restoration of statehood is J&K’s “right and future”. He said: “J&K cannot move forward without it.”

Gandhi pointed out that while other states had been created after 1947, this was the first time a state had been reduced to a Union territory. “States were divided. Telangana was formed out of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand out of Bihar, and Chhattisgarh out of Madhya Pradesh. But for the first time, a state was turned into a Union territory. This was done to J&K,” Gandhi said.

J&K lost its special status after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and the subsequent bifurcation of the region into two Union territories, including Ladakh.

The former Congress president condemned the move as “injustice” and accused the Narendra Modi government of snatching away the democratic rights of the region’s people. “Today, J&K is run by people from other states,” he said, targeting lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, whom he described as a “king, not LG”.

Gandhi alleged that as long as the current administration led by the LG continues “outsiders will get benefits, and you will be sidelined”.

Later, Gandhi spoke at a rally in Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, where he focused on the economic potential of the region’s apple. Holding an apple in his hand, he declared: “This apple has to be taken abroad. Your future lies in this.”

He promised that if the Congress-NC alliance is elected, it would promote the Sopore apple in international markets. “I want this apple to go to America. If this apple has to reach Japan and America, the first step has to be the restoration of statehood. Without that, it is not possible,” he said.

He linked the struggles of apple farmers to the influence of billionaire Gautam Adani. “The reason why farmers are not getting good prices for their apples, whether here or in Himachal, is because of Adani,” PTI quoted him as saying.