Opposition Leaders Urge PM Modi to Grant Full Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir

Call for Legislative Action on Jammu and Kashmir

In a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, have urged the government to introduce a bill in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament that would restore full statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. They also requested that the government consider a bill to include the Union Territory of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

In their correspondence to PM Modi, Kharge and Gandhi emphasized that the residents of Jammu and Kashmir have been persistently advocating for the restoration of full statehood for the past five years.

They argued that this demand is not only legitimate but also rooted in their constitutional and democratic rights. The Congress leaders highlighted the importance of recognizing that while there have been instances in the past where Union Territories were granted statehood, the situation of Jammu and Kashmir is unprecedented in independent India. This is the first instance where a full state has been converted into a Union Territory following its division.

The letter to PM Modi also referenced his previous commitments regarding the restoration of statehood. In an interview on May 19, 2024, in Bhubaneswar, he stated, 'Restoring statehood is a serious promise we are committed to fulfilling.' Furthermore, during a rally in Srinagar on September 19, 2024, he reiterated, 'We have assured Parliament that we will restore statehood to this region.'