NEW DELHI, July 20: The Congress announced that the INDIA alliance will raise the demand for full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins on July 21.
Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, AICC General Secretary (Organisation), questioned the central government’s sincerity regarding its earlier promises on statehood. “Did Prime Minister Modi lie in Parliament when he assured statehood for J&K? If not, why was JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra and other Congress leaders arrested?” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Venugopal also condemned the sealing of the Congress office in Srinagar and the police action preventing peaceful protests, calling it undemocratic. “This farce cannot go on any longer,” he said, affirming that restoration of statehood will be a key demand of the INDIA bloc in Parliament.
The Congress, currently in power in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with Omar Abdullah’s National Conference, has pledged to continue its fight for reinstating full statehood.
On Sunday, dozens of Congress workers were detained during a statehood march—the second such instance in two days. The rally, held under the banner “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq” (Our State, Our Right), was blocked by police.
Hundreds of Congress supporters, led by JKPCC President Tariq Hameed Karra and party general secretary G.A. Mir, gathered at the party’s Jammu office at Shaheedi Chowk. They intended to march to Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, but were stopped by police barricades.
