Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, July 16: All India Congress Committee president, Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi today wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring a legislation in Parliament’s upcoming Monsoon session to grant full Statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Gandhi- a former Congress president also called on the Modi Government to bring a legislation to include the Union Territory of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
In their joint letter to Modi today, Kharge and Gandhi said that for the past five years, the people of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of full Statehood.
This demand is both legitimate and firmly grounded in their Constitutional and democratic rights, they said.
“It is important to recognise that while there have been instances of Union Territories being granted Statehood in the past, the case of Jammu and Kashmir is without precedent in independent India. This is the first time a full-fledged State has been downgraded to a Union Territory following its bifurcation,” the letter said.
“Your goodself has, on multiple occasions, personally reiterated the Government’s commitment to restoring Statehood. In your interview in Bhubaneswar on 19 May 2024, you stated: “The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.” Again, while addressing a rally in Srinagar on 19 September 2024, you reaffirmed: “We have said in Parliament that we will restore the region’s Statehood,” the two leaders said.
The Union Government has also made similar assurances before the Supreme Court in the Article 370 matter, submitting that Statehood would be restored “at the earliest and as soon as possible”, they pointed out.
“In view of the foregoing and aforementioned, we urge upon the Government to bring forward a legislation in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament to grant full Statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” Kharge and Gandhi said.
“Additionally, we request that the Government bring forward legislation to include the Union Territory of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution,” they said.
“This would be a significant step towards addressing the cultural, developmental and political aspirations of the people of Ladakh, while safeguarding their rights, land, and identity,” Kharge and Gandhi said.
Meanwhile, political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday welcomed the Congress’ letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pitching for the restoration of Statehood to the Union Territory.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Karra expressed gratitude to the party leadership for its letter to Modi.
“I express gratitude to LoP @RahulGandhi Ji and AICC president @kharge Ji for their letter to PM Narendra Modi, urging the restoration of full Statehood for J&K and inclusion of Ladakh under the 6th Schedule,” Karra said in a post on X.
He said the party demands immediate action in the Monsoon session of Parliament to fulfill the aspirations of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
In an extraordinary meeting of senior PCC leaders at PCC office Jammu, today under the chairmanship of PCC chief Karra, the party expressed gratitude to the party president and LoP in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for writing to the Prime Minister for bringing a bill in the forthcoming session of Parliament to restore the promised Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The PCC expressed gratitude to the party leadership for raising the most dear and genuine demand of people of Jammu and Kashmir for statehood. The meeting said that the Congress high command has taken up the call at a very important juncture, when Parliament session is starting on July 21st and the Centre Government should bring a bill in this regard at the earliest, as promised on the floor of the House, before the Supreme Court and in public rallies, as reminded in the joint letter by both the LoP to the Prime Minister.
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