Jammu- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated the promise of restoring Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)’s statehood, saying they would fight for it in Parliament as well as take to the streets.
He said the statehood was snatched because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to run the region through the lieutenant governor (LG) and outsiders to end the prosperity of the people. “Until the lieutenant governor is here, outsiders will continue to get benefits at the expense of the people of J&K,” he said at a rally in Jammu.
He said that restoration of statehood was the “right” of people of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the INDIA bloc will hit the road and use “full force” in Parliament and outside if the Centre fails to restore it after assembly polls.
In an election rally here, he said the 2019 decision to bifurcate the erstwhile state into two Union Territories (UTs) was “a grave injustice” to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“This has never happened in the history of India that we have taken away statehood and transformed a state into a Union Territory,” Gandhi, who is the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, said.
“It should have never happened, and I guarantee you that if the BJP does not restore statehood after the elections, we — the INDIA alliance — will use our full force in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and even take to the streets for the restoration of statehood to J&K,” he asserted.
This rally marked Gandhi’s third visit to the region in nearly three weeks, following prior stops in Banihal and Dooru on September 4 and in Surankote and Central-Shalteng on September 23. His visit comes ahead of the crucial third phase of the assembly elections, with the first round having taken place on September 18 and the second on September 25.
Gandhi criticised the current administration for allegedly prioritising “outsiders” over local residents, claiming that the presence of the Lieutenant Governor has marginalised local interests.
“As long as the Lt Governor is there, outsiders will benefit and locals will be sidelined,” he said, arguing that the statehood was revoked to facilitate governance by non-residents.
He told the youths that the restoration of statehood is “your right and your future” and J&K cannot move forward without it.
Gandhi began his day in Jammu with an interaction with local professionals at a hotel before heading to JK Resort Ground for the rally.
He further stated that the restoration of statehood is crucial for the region’s future, asserting, “J&K cannot move forward without it.”
In addition to his focus on statehood, Gandhi criticised the central government’s economic policies, alleging that they favour a select few business magnates.
“This government runs for Ambani and Adani,” he claimed, denouncing the GST and demonetisation as tools designed to benefit these conglomerates.
Referring to migrant Kashmiri Pandits and refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, he said all the promises made to them by the Manmohan Singh government will be fulfilled after the formation of the National Conference-Congress government in J&K.
He also said the smart electricity meters will be removed and Punjabi will be granted official language status.
The former Congress president concluded his address by accusing the BJP government and the Lt Governor of undermining Jammu’s economic strength, which he described as the central hub of J&K essential for facilitating the production chain from the valley to the rest of the country.
As the assembly elections unfold, the call for the restoration of statehood remains a pivotal issue in the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.
‘GST & Demonetisation Tools For Tycoons’
Rahul Gandhi questioned the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ project and alleged that GST and demonetisation were used as weapons to clear roads for business tycoons like Adani and Ambani.
He accused the BJP of using central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax (IT) to browbeat opponents.
The Jammu district along with six other districts is going to polls in the third and final phase of Jammu and Kashmir elections on October 1.
“They (BJP) are talking about ‘Make in India’ and the defence industry but the reality is that all the contracts are going to people like Adani. An Israeli company is making weapons and Adani is pasting his label.
“An Israeli company is making drones but the label is of Adani. They say it is ‘Made in India’ but how so? These are Israeli weapons made by Adani and not made in India and this is the situation in the entire country,” Gandhi said at the rally.
He alleged that the government is only working for billionaires like Adani and Ambani.
“The GST was a weapon to target Jammu entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses. The same way demonetisation was also used as a weapon.
“These are not policies but weapons and its target was to clear the roads for people like Adani and Ambani. The wrong GST implementation and demonetisation led to the destruction of lakhs of small businesses across the country,” he said.
He said the airports, ports, roads, defence weapons and even the apple produced in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are controlled by Adani.
“Earlier, the Kashmiri apple was going through Jammu in the rest of the country. Now it is in the hands of Adani who also handles apples from Himachal Pradesh. Same is the position in every industry.
“We have Adani tax on airports and Ambani’s mobile tax. If you want to move on the road, the tax goes to Adani, cereal produce is handled by Adani, the tax on weapons and bullets used by the Army goes to Adani. How long will this go on?” he said.
He alleged that if an airport is being run by someone else, the government is using the CBI and ED to force him to hand it the facility to Adani.
He accused the BJP-led government of waiving loans worth over Rs 16 lakh crore to 25 business tycoons like Adani and Ambani but no such concession was granted to Jammu traders or farmers, the youth who have taken education loan and the patients who have spent hefty sums on their treatment.
‘If you are taking a bank loan and fail to return the money, you are thrown in jail,’ he said.
The former Congress president said they have made the “complicated GST is only meant for extortion”.
“If you do anything wrong, the central agencies like ED, CBI, GST and Income Tax people will come and they will take money and leave. This is the system going on in the country under the BJP rule,” he said.
He said both Adani and Ambani had a place in the country but “you (people of J&K) too deserve a place. It is not that you give everything to them and people can only watch”.
Referring to his interaction with a group of professionals on reaching Jammu earlier in the day, he said a girl told him that her dream to start a small aromatic business was dashed because the government failed to provide her the promised support.
Gandhi said the distressed girl does not want to run her business anymore.
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