Cong leaders protest at Jantar Mantar, demand restoration of J&K statehood

In a strong message to the BJP-led government at the Centre over the delay in restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Tuesday said the move to downgrade the region had hurt the “soul of India” and was an “injustice to the nationalistic people of Kashmir.” The party warned of continued agitation if the demand is not fulfilled.

Party leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, joined by the national leadership, gathered at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, raising slogans in support of full statehood and criticising the Prime Minister for not honouring his promise.

Addressing the protest amid heavy rain, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said it was the first time in the country’s history that a full-fledged state had been downgraded to a Union Territory.

“J&K is not just a state, it is the heart — in fact, the soul — of India,” Venugopal said, drawing loud cheers from party workers from Jammu and Kashmir. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added, “You have insulted the people of J&K by turning it into a UT. What wrong have they done to deserve this?”

Referring to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Venugopal said, “The people of Kashmir stood with India. We saw that in Pahalgam. We saw their nationalistic spirit. And yet, you have betrayed them.”

Senior Congress leader and MP Digvijay Singh echoed the sentiment, saying, “The people of J&K have been wronged. In every election, the Prime Minister and Home Minister promise statehood, but it turns out to be a lie. Why the delay? Statehood must be granted in this session.” Singh also advocated for inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to safeguard the rights of its tribal population. Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi added a poetic touch to the protest, saying, “…Spring will be back soon”. Also present at the protest were AICC in-charge for J&K Naseer Hussain, J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra and other senior leaders from the region.

In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The people of J&K deserve full statehood. It is their right. We have written to the PM demanding the same. The Modi government has a consistent policy of betrayal for J&K. The Pahalgam terror attack is a grim reminder of intelligence failure. We stand strongly with the UT people, demanding adequate compensation and protection for them, especially the families who lost loved ones in cross-border shelling. They are martyrs."

None spoke to us before launching protest, says Omar

Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the Congress did not consult the National Conference (NC) before launching protests demanding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

“Let them talk to us first. We came to know about these protests through newspapers; no one spoke to us. There was a meeting of the INDIA bloc a few days ago. Had they mentioned it then, why would we have taken a backseat, especially when it is we who have shouldered this issue from the beginning?” he said.

Omar stressed that if the Congress wanted the NC’s support, it should have reached out to party leaders beforehand. “It was our government that passed a resolution on statehood in the Cabinet. We even brought it to the Assembly, but unfortunately, it wasn’t discussed due to the prevailing situation,” he said. — OC

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