Jammu, September 25: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Indian bloc will use its full strength in the Parliament and even take to the road if the BJP-led government fails to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after the ongoing assembly elections.
Addressing a public rally in support of party candidates here, the former Congress president said the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories in 2019 had caused severe consequences to the people of Jammu and Kashmir of injustice.
This is his third visit to Jammu and Kashmir in the past nearly three weeks. He visited Banihal and Dooru constituencies on September 4 ahead of the first phase of assembly polls on September 18. He visited Surankote and Central-Shalteng on September 23, two days ahead of the second phase of voting on September 25.
Immediately after arriving in Jammu on Wednesday, Gandhi interacted with professionals at a hotel before heading to the JK resort grounds to address a public rally.
Reaffirming his determination to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, Gandhi said: “Never in the history of India has it happened that we took away statehood and converted a state into a union state.”
“This should not happen and I assure you that if the BJP is not going to restore statehood (after the elections), we – the Union of India – will go all out in the Lok Sabha, the Union House and even take to the roads to protest. Restoration of JK nationhood,” he told the rally.
He alleged that J&K had snatched statehood to benefit “outsiders” through the lieutenant governor.
“As long as the deputy governor is there, outsiders will benefit and locals will be marginalized. That is why JK is being deprived of its statehood. They want JK to be run by outsiders and not locals,” he said.
He told the crowd that restoration of statehood is “your right and your future” and without it, JK cannot move forward.
He said small and medium-sized businesses in other parts of the country were also being systematically attacked. “This government is campaigning against Ambani and Adani. GST and demonetisation are weapons used to clear the way for them.”
He also criticized the government’s ‘Make in India’ programme, calling it the ‘Make in Adani’ programme, and claimed that all contracts under the policy were given to Adani Business Group.
He accused the BJP government and the lieutenant governor of breaking the backbone of Jammu, which is the central hub of Jammu and Kashmir and facilitates smooth flow of production chains from the valley to other parts of the country.
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