Surankote/Srinagar, Sep 23: Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi today said Congress would pressure the Centre to restore J&K’s statehood after the ongoing assembly polls.
Addressing back-to-back rallies at Surankote and Srinagar on the last date of campaigning for the second phase of polling on September 25, Gandhi promised to act as the voice of Jammu and Kashmir in the parliament.
He addressed the first rally of the day at the Surankote assembly segment of Poonch district. His second rally was in Srinagar, which a party leader termed “a new dawn” for the Congress in Kashmir as it was “the first major gathering for the party in Srinagar in the past three decades”.
At the Surankote assembly, Gandhi said there are numerous examples of union territories being upgraded to states but never in the history of India a state was downgraded to a union territory.
“For the first time, a full-fledged state (J&K) was turned into a UT. We will put pressure on them (the government) and we will ensure that it (restoration of statehood) is done. If they don’t do it we will,” Gandhi said.
Seeking support for Congress-National Conference alliance candidates, he said his party wanted the restoration of statehood before the ongoing polls.
“We were of the view that statehood should be restored first followed by elections but they did not do it. We will put pressure on them and you will get back your statehood after elections,” the former Congress president said.
He asked people to feel free to reach out to him to raise any issue in Parliament. “I am always available for you, just give me an order and I am there to help you.”
At his second rally of the day — at the Zainakote area on Srinagar’s outskirts — Gandhi promised to be the voice of the people of J-K in Parliament. “Whenever you need me, you just have to give me an order and I will be present before you. I will raise your issues in Parliament.”
