Jammu: Congress’ Jammu and Kashmir unit on Tuesday staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here, demanding restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory.
Congress general secretary (organisation), K C Venugopal, AICC in-charge of J&K Naseer Hussain and J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra, among others, took part in the protest.
“Jammu and Kashmir is the first instance of a state being downgraded into a Union Territory. Such democratic backsliding and insult to the people of a state is unacceptable,” Venugopal said in a post on X after the protest.
“J&KPCC is protesting at Jantar Mantar, to demand restoration of full statehood to J&K. I joined in the protest and spoke about the need to defend the Constitution and restore the dignity of the people of J&K. The promises made in Parliament must be fulfilled without delay,” he said.
The Congress on Sunday said the party will raise the demand for restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in the Monsoon session of Parliament.
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had last week written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for a legislation in the Monsoon session to grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
In their joint letter to Modi, Kharge and Gandhi had said that for the past five years, the people of the UT 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 had said.
