J&K Congress to join INDIA bloc MPs in Delhi for statehood restoration: Karra

Srinagar, Jul 19: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra on Thursday said the party will head to Delhi to unite their voice with 233 INDIA bloc MPs and press the Government of India (Go) to introduce a bill for the restoration of J&K’s statehood in the upcoming Parliament session.Speaking to reporters here after police thwarted the party’s protest and prevented them from stepping out of the JKPCC office, Karra said the protest was part of their demand for the immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.He said that for the past six months, the Congress has been running a campaign titled “Humari Riyasat, Humara Haq” across J&K. “We held meetings in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir province. Following an overwhelming response, it was decided to expand the campaign to the constituency and block levels. The programme for this has already been chalked out,” he said.Karra said Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge also wrote to the Prime Minister, saying that the time had come to restore the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which were “snatched undemocratically and unilaterally”.“In this context, we organised today’s ‘Srinagar Chalo’ protest, will hold ‘Jammu Chalo’ tomorrow, and finally ‘Delhi Chalo’ on July 21,” the Congress leader announced.He said senior Congress workers from J&K will travel to Delhi and “gherao” Parliament, in what he called an effort rooted in the emotions, aspirations, and rights of the people of the region. “We will unite our voice with the 233 INDIA bloc MPs and compel the government to introduce the statehood restoration bill in the ongoing Parliament session,” he said.Referring to the Supreme Court verdict following the abrogation of Article 370, Karra said, “The apex court had issued two clear directions — that elections be held at the earliest and statehood restored as soon as possible. The delay in implementation of this order amounts to contempt of court.”He said the government has repeatedly said statehood would be restored at an “appropriate time,” but no clarity has been provided on when that time will come. “They have been saying this since 2019. How long will people wait?” Karra asked.