Congress will intensify fight for J&K statehood: Karra

Srinagar, Jul 31: Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Karra on Thursday said the party will intensify its struggle to press for the restoration of statehood to the erstwhile State. “Our aim has not been fulfilled yet, which is the restoration of full statehood. We have apprehensions that whenever it is restored, it might be partial statehood,” he said while speaking to reporters after interacting with party leaders and workers after a ‘Delhi Chalo’ programme to press for the restoration of statehood to J&K.Karra said, “We want statehood like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh or Andhra Pradesh. It is our right. We are not begging, we are demanding our right, which was snatched illegally and unilaterally.”The JKPCC chief said that as part of its ‘Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq’ campaign, the Congress will organise various programmes from August 1 to 21. “We will observe August 5 as a black day. It is the blackest day in the history of J-K. There will also be a hunger strike on August 9,” he said.On ruling National Conference’s (NC) claim that the Congress did not consult it for its protest programmes, the former minister said the NC is in the government, while the Congress supports the government from outside.“We are not a part of the Cabinet. We do not have any compulsions which they may have. And this is not a struggle of the Congress or just its workers, it represents the wishes, aspirations and needs of 1.40 crore people of J&K. We will not put pressure on anyone to join us, but we cannot step back from our duties,” Karra said.