Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has demanded the restoration of full statehood for the Union Territory. Rahul Gandhi is in Jammu and Kashmir on a two-day visit. Addressing party workers in Srinagar, the Congress leader stated that the grand old party seeks free and fair elections. This is Rahul Gandhi’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.
The Congress and other mainstream parties, mainly the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have echoed similar demands from the Centre. Rahul Gandhi said the Congress workers should lead a campaign for restoration of full statehood. He also said “free and fair election” should be held in Jammu and Kashmir. Without mentioning revocation of Article 370, he said his party has a clear stand on Jammu and Kashmir and called for the restoration of J&K’s statehood and conducting elections for J&K Assembly. Recalling the achievements of Congress, he said the Congress government conduct Panchayati polls in Jammu and Kashmir, brought big industrialists of the country to invest in Jammu and Kashmir, and started different programmes in J&K. Earlier, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in his speech urged Rahul Gandhi to ask the government in the parliament to bring a bill to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir having safeguards about land and jobs. “It will take the government just five minutes to pass the bill,” Azad said.
