Jammu: Congress will “intensify” the demand for Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood from March 24 and will organise a march that will continue for next 10 to 15 days, JK Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra said on Saturday
Karra clarified that the party will only hold a march, “not a protest”
Karra said, “We have said that we would intensify (our demand for statehood) if needed… To reiterate our statehood demand and to remind the government of India, the PM and the Home Minister, we will intensify our demand from March 24. It will only be a march, not a protest… and it will continue for 10-15 days daily.”
Congress along with their allies, the ruling National Conference has been vocal about their demand for J-K’s statehood from centre.
Carrying forward the campaign alongside the AICC abhiyan, “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan,” the JKPCC chief said that Congress would continue its struggle for statehood, which is the right and demand of every citizen in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The movement will also highlight issues faced by common people in their daily lives and seek their redressal from the administration,” he said.
The meeting decided to intensify the statehood movement while also raising concerns about the misgovernance of the BJP-led Centre and the Lieutenant Governor’s administration over the past decade, which has led to multiple hardships for the common people.
They also supported the demands of daily wagers for regularisation.
The issue of high electricity bills and the disconnection of power connections for poor people was also strongly raised in the meeting.
The meeting further stressed the need for an amnesty scheme, as referred to by the Chief Minister, to provide relief to the suffering population.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has said Union Home Minister Amit Shah in his reply to the discussion on the working of his ministry was silent on when the census would take place and when Jammu and Kashmir would get full statehood.
He said though both matters pertain to the national interests, the Rajya Sabha chairman did not allow him to raise the issue.
“Today, while replying to the discussion on the demands of the Home Ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah enumerated his achievements in detail in his two-hour speech. But he remained silent on two important issues. When will the census take place? When will Jammu and Kashmir get the status of a full state,” Singh said in a post on X.
“We wanted to know but the Chairman did not give us the opportunity. Was he not supposed to inform the country on both these issues?” he said.
Congress to ‘intensify’ demand for J&K’s statehood
