J&K Assembly Election 2024 | I.N.D.I.A. bloc will hit the road if statehood not restored after polls: Rahul Gandhi

He alleged that the statehood was snatched from J&K to benefit 'outsiders' through Lt Governor.

Srinagar: Leader of Opposition in the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday warned that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will hit the roads if the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is not restored after the Assembly elections.

Addressing an election rally in support of party candidates in Jammu, he said in the history of India, after 1947, several Union Territories (UTs) were turned into states.

“States were divided - Telangana was formed out of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand was formed out of Bihar, Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. But for the first time after independence, a state was turned into a UT. This was done to Jammu & Kashmir. This is an injustice to you. Your democratic rights have been snatched away from you,” he said.

The Congress leader guaranteed to people of J&K that if the BJP didn’t restore the statehood (after elections), “the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will use its full force in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and even come on the roads for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.”

He continued saying today J&K is not being run by the people of the region “but it is run by the people of other states.”

“As long as the Lt Governor is here, outsiders will benefit and the locals will be sidelined,” he said, asserting that this was a deliberate strategy to run J&K for the benefit of non-residents.

This was Gandhi's third visit to Jammu and Kashmir this month. He addressed poll rallies in Banihal and Dooru assembly seats on September 4. His second visit was to Surankote and Central-Shalteng seats two days ahead of the second phase of polls September 25.

He reached Jammu on Wednesday and interacted with professionals at a hotel before moving to the J&K Resort Ground to address a public rally.

While attacking Modi government he said, “It favors corporate giants like Ambani and Adani. The GST and demonetization were weapons used to clear the road for them.”

He also termed the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative as ‘Make in Adani,’ suggesting that contracts under the program primarily benefit the Adani group.

Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.