Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP for snatching J&K’s statehood, pledge to restore it

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for snatching Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and reiterated the pledge to restore it, while expressing confidence that the Congress and ally National Conference (NC) will form the next government in the region.

Gandhi, who held twin rallies in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, also spoke about his “blood” relationship with J&K, the self-respect of the region’s people and the importance of raising their issues and pain in the Parliament. He also made an appeal to Kashmiri Pandits for joining them to move ahead together.

“For the first time in independent India, a state was downgraded to a union territory (UT), and rights of the people were snatched. It never happened before,” he said.

The Union government in 2019 stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status by revoking the Constitution’s Article 370 and divided the region into two UTs. The region is going to its first assembly elections since 2014 in three phases in September and October.

“First of all, the statehood has to be restored because not only they [BJP] snatched your statehood but also your rights, money, and everything,” he said at a rally in Ramban, his first ahead of the assembly polls.

Gandhi likened the Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant-governor to a monarch although monarchs were removed to pave the way for democracy when India got its independence in 1947. “Your wealth is being given away to the outsiders. Our first step in Jammu and Kashmir will be to restore statehood. It should have been given before elections but BJP insisted on polls first,” said Gandhi. “The Opposition alliance]... will put such pressure on the BJP that they will have to give it back.”

He said the people were being denied free electricity within five km of the projects in a river-rich region like Jammu and Kashmir with huge hydropower generation capacity. “They [BJP] are giving power to other states but no free electricity to the people here. On the contrary, you are paying more for electricity.”

Gandhi blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for unemployment, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that the BJP’s ideology and wrong policies have caused unemployment. “Jammu and Kashmir has the highest unemployment in the country. Small businessmen...tourism and handicrafts are being crushed. The situation is Rbad.”

He said the implementation of Goods and Services Tax and demonetisation hit small businesses hard while accusing Modi’s government of working for the welfare of industrialists Adani and Ambani. “The statehood was snatched to help these two friends of Modi,” he said.

Gandhi said the Congress-NC alliance government would fill vacant government posts, extend the age for getting government jobs to 40, regularise daily wagers, and enhance their wages. He referred to Modi’s claims of “invincibility” and “direct connection with God” and added the Prime Minister says none can defeat the BJP. “He says he has a direct connection with God and talks to him. The Prime Minister says he is non-biological and talks directly to God but in [Lok Sabha] elections God gave Modi a direct message. We have defused Modi psychologically. I sit in front of him in the Parliament.”

The leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also addressed a high-pitched rally in Dooru, Anantnag, in south Kashmir.

Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he has lost his confidence and the opposition was putting pressure on the government for restoring J&K’s statehood.

Thousands of people, including a large number of youth and women, had gathered in Sports Stadium Dooru beating drums, raising flags and shouting slogans as Gandhi talked of sharing their pain in the parliament.

“Statehood is a right and it is a matter of self-respect of J&K people. You know we have a blood relationship and this is not political relation but this is old and related to blood whether Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi or Jawahar Lal Nehru and whatever you want from me, my doors are open I want to serve you in parliament – your issues and ‘dard and dukh’ - I want to raise those in parliament so that country knows...,” he said.

The rally in Dooru also turned into a show of strength for the Congress-National Conference alliance, with NC president Farooq Abdullah and NC MP Mian Altaf sharing the podium with Gandhi, Congress’s local unit president Tariq Hamid Karra and former president Ghulam Ahmad Mir.

NC and Congress are contesting the assembly polls jointly with smaller allies CPI(M) and Panthers Party. While Congress will contest 32 seats, NC will fight on 51 and there will be a friendly contest on five seats.

Dooru assembly constituency has been assigned to former minister and former J&K Pradesh Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir. Mir will be challenged by PDP candidate Mohammad Ashraf Malik, a retired district and sessions judge. In Banihal, Gandhi canvassed for Congress leader Vikar Rasool.

He said the fight was of ideology, with hatred on one side and love and brotherhood on the other. “They divide people across the country and pitch one religion against another, Hindu against Muslim, Muslim against Sikh, Sikh against Christian, in Haryana Jat- Non-Jat, Manipur, UP wherever they go, they will. They pitch one caste against another, one language with another,” he said.