Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi called for full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir during an election meeting in Poonch on Monday. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s central government of stripping the democratic rights of the region’s people.
Rahul Gandhi declared, “For the first time in history, a state has transformed into a union territory. While union territories have previously become states—such as Telangana from Andhra and Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh—this unprecedented action shows that the democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been taken away.”
He poLeader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi urged for full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir during an election meeting in Poonch on Monday. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s central government of depriving the people of their democratic rights.
Rahul Gandhi stated, “For the first time in history, a state has turned into a union territory. While we have seen union territories become states—like Telangana from Andhra and Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh—this unprecedented change demonstrates that the democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have vanished.”
He emphasized that after the Modi government revoked Article 370 and Article 35 in 2019, they split Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, and the government has not held assembly elections since then.
However, the Supreme Court mandated that assembly elections must occur by September 30, 2024. Voting is currently in progress, with the first round finishing on October 18, followed by two more rounds on October 25 and November 1. Political parties are actively campaigning as they gear up for these crucial elections.