Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi reached Srinagar on Thursday with a view to election preparations at the ground level. During this, he said that restoring the state status of Jammu and Kashmir is the priority of the Congress Party and India Block.
The former Congress president also said that it is his party’s goal that the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh get back their democratic rights.
“It is our and the Indian faction’s priority to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. We had hoped it could be done before the elections, but it’s okay, elections have been announced. We hope statehood will be restored as soon as possible and the democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir will be restored,” Gandhi said at a press conference after interacting with party workers.
#WATCH Srinagar, J&K: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, “It is our priority in the Congress Party and also in the INDIA alliance to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. We had expected that this would be done prior to the elections but… pic.twitter.com/ywBfXn2Qim
— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2024
He said that this is the first time after independence that a state has been upgraded to a Union Territory (UT).
He said, “This has never happened before. Union territories have become states, but this is the first time that a state has become a Union Territory. We are also very clear in our national manifesto that it is a priority for us that the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh get back their democratic rights.”
Gandhi, along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, on Thursday addressed Congress leaders and workers here to take feedback on ground-level preparations for the assembly elections.
Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases – on September 18, September 25 and October 1. Counting of votes will take place on October 4.
