Srinagar, Aug 22 (KB): On a key political move after the declaration of state assembly election dates for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed Congress workers in Srinagar, accompanying party President Mallikarjun Kharge, asserting the commitment of the party to restore statehood status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Gandhi attempted to put the issue of the representation and statehood of Jammu and Kashmir at the core of Congress priorities during the rally.
“You are not workers; you are family,” he said, emphasizing the deep connection with the region and commitment of the Congress party.
He noted that, despite the fact that many union territories were accorded statehood in history, Jammu and Kashmir was practically the only state to have its statehood grant removed, and this time-tested historic injustice must be undone by the Congress Party.
In his speech, as per news agency Kashmir Bulletin (KB) Gandhi also cited the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in the history of the country.
“He assured the people that their representation within the Indian Union is paramount, not only for the region but for the country as a whole. ‘We want to give this message that the representation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is important; it is important for us, and it is very important for the country,’ Gandhi emphasized, signaling the Congress party’s unwavering stand on this issue.”
He said that supporting Gandhi’s assertions, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge explicitly made clear of a personal nexus between Gandhi and Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the ties of Gandhi with the region are more than of political nature.
They are of blood and history. Kharge told voters that supporting Congress was a means to ensure safeguards for the rights and culture of the region.
He went on to pitch the upcoming polls as a decisive contest not just for Jammu and Kashmir but for the nation at large, where a victory in J&K could be a pitchfork to New India.
The senior Congress leader also took a swipe at the BJP, alleging the saffron party “finalized election timings,” keeping their welfare in mind, and targeting the Congress only as very strong challengers to the BJP have been emerging from the party.
He had words of praise only for Rahul Gandhi, saying that he was the only leader who had the capability to stand up to the saffron party’s dominance and declaring that the people of Jammu and Kashmir should stand with the Congress to “save country” and their future.
The event was held under tight security, and rightly so, too, for the political stakes involved in the Jammu and Kashmir scenario are evidently high at the moment.
The Congress is most likely to challenge the state elections in alliance with the National Conference, although no announcement has yet been made regarding the same.
They have been sharing the INDIA bloc for a partnership during the Lok Sabha elections and are most likely to conclude a similar kind of partnership for the state assembly polls.
This statement assumes extreme significance in the backdrop of the run-up to the Jammu and Kashmir elections, as the Congress makes efforts to allure voters over the focal points of statehood restoration and address special concerns faced by the region.— (KB)
