Farmers Movement Archive

Rahul calls for restoration of J&K statehood

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre of launching an assault on every institution in the country, saying that the Opposition wasn’t being allowed to raise important issues such as the farm bills, snooping, unemployment and corruption in Parliament.The former Congress chief also called for restoration of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir, and the conduct of free and fair elections in the Union territory without any delay.Addressing party workers after inaugurating a party unit at M A road, Gandhi said: “We are not allowed to speak in Parliament on issues like farm bills, Pegasus (snooping controversy), corruption, Rafale (deal) and unemployment. Whether it’s the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, judiciary or other institutions of the country, they are facing an onslaught. Even people from the press can’t write or speak. They are afraid that if they write they will lose their jobs.”“There is not only an attack on Jammu & Kashmir, but there is also an indirect attack in the rest of the country on all institutions,” he added.BJP state spokesperson Altaf Thakur refuted the allegations, saying that Parliament members were always allowed to speak in both the Houses.“Unfortunately, Rahul Gandhi doesn’t want to speak in Parliament or his party has asked him not to speak there, so it’s not the BJP’s fault.”Besides this, Gandhi, who arrived in Srinagar on Monday for a two-day visit — his first since the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir — said that he feels like he is “coming home” each time he visits the Union territory.“I can well understand the psyche of people of Kashmir and have inherited Kashmiriyat. With love, you can get every work done from the people of Kashmir and by force or hatred nothing can be achieved from the people,” he said.The Congress leader said that he will continue to fight against the divisive ideology of the Prime Minister. “I fight against Narendra Modi and we will continue to fight against his divisive ideology, the ideology that divides India,” he said.Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who also arrived in Srinagar earlier in the day, batted for land and job rights for its residents, saying if laws providing such benefits were valid in other areas like Himachal Pradesh, why snatch them away from the erstwhile state.“The (assembly) elections...should be conducted soon. But before the elections, the statehood should be restored, which is very important. Kashmiri Pandits should be brought back,” he said.“Our land and job (rights), which were taken away after Article 370 was revoked, should be secured like they were before (August 5, 2019) through a new law when the statehood is restored,” he added.The former leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha urged Gandhi to raise the issue of Jammu & Kashmir in Parliament so that a bill that restores the statehood and protects land and job rights of locals is passed in Parliament within the remaining three days of the ongoing session. He said that J-K cannot be a state like Delhi where every order has to be approved by the Lieutenant Governor.“J-K is a border state and the L-G cannot govern it. We don’t want a Delhi like state where L-G has to approve every order,” he said.On August 5, 2019, the Centre had revoked Article 370 of the Constitution that gave Jammu & Kashmir a special status and bifurcated the state into two Union territories.As a pre-emptive measure, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was imposed in the state and prominent state political leaders such as former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were placed under house arrest. Communication lines, too, were snapped while internet and mobile services were suspended.Days after the Centre’s move, Gandhi had led an opposition delegation to Kashmir, but was forced to go back from the Srinagar airport.On July 28, minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai told Rajya Sabha that the statehood for Jammu & Kashmir would be granted after “normalcy is restored”.In an interview with Hindustan Times on July 28, Jammu & Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said that Union home minister Amit Shah had assured that “statehood would be granted to the union territory at an appropriate time”.

Hindustan Times

11-08-2021

India