‘INDIA bloc will fight in Parliament, take to streets if J&K statehood not restored’: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the INDIA bloc will use its full force within the Parliament to push for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir following the current assembly elections, warning that if the BJP-led government fails to take action, then they will not hesitate to even hit the roads in protest.
Speaking at a public rally in support of party candidates in Jammu, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir suffered a grave injustice when the former state was split into two union territories in 2019.”This has never happened in the history of India that we have taken away statehood and transformed a state into UT,” Rahul said.
“It should have never happened and I guarantee you that if the BJP is not going to restore the statehood (after elections), we — the INDIA alliance — will use our full force in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and even come on the roads for the restoration of statehood to J-K,” he added, news agency PTI reported.
In his address, the Congress leader claimed that the revocation of J&K’s statehood was done to benefit “outsiders” through the Lt Governor’s office.
He further continued that, “As long as the Lt Governor is there, outsiders will benefit and the locals will be sidelined. This was the reason that statehood was snatched from J-K. They wanted J-K to be run by outsiders and not locals.”
Rahul told the crowd that the restoration of statehood is “your right and your future” stating that J&K cannot progress without it.
Furthermore, he pointed out that there was a systematic attack on small and medium businesses across the country. He alleged that “This government runs for Ambani and Adani. And the GST and demonetization were weapons used to clear the road for them.”
Rahul also criticised the ‘Make in India‘ initiative, referring to it as the ‘make in Adani’ program, and claimed that all contracts under this policy are being awarded to the Adani conglomerate.
He accused the BJP government and the Lt Governor of undermining Jammu’s role as the central hub of Jammu and Kashmir, which facilitated a smooth flow of the production chain from the Valley to the rest of the country.
Earlier in the day, prior to the public rally at the JK Resort Ground, he engaged in a discussion with professionals at a hotel upon his arrival in Jammu.
This marked his third visit to Jammu and Kashmir in nearly three weeks. On September 4, he visited the Banihal and Dooru constituencies ahead of the first phase of assembly elections on September 18. His subsequent visit to Surankote and Central-Shalteng took place on September 23, just two days before the second phase of voting on September 25.