Arya News - Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, wrote a joint letter to PM Narendra Modi urging him to bring a legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the union territory.
NEW DELHI – Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to bring a legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“For the past five years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of full statehood. This demand is both legitimate and fully grounded in their constitutional and democratic right,” the leaders said in their letter.
They reminded Prime Minister Modi of his own commitments made on multiple occasions, citing his interview in Bhubaneswar on May 19, 2024, where he said: “The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.”
Kharge and Gandhi have been vocal about restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. In their recent interactions, they’ve highlighted the importance of democratic rights for the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Prime Minister Modi had previously assured that J&K would soon have an elected Assembly and attain statehood again.
They also pointed out that the government had made similar assurances before the Supreme Court, stating that statehood would be restored at the earliest opportunity.
The leaders also urged the government to introduce legislation placing Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Kharge and Gandhi further stressed that downgrading a full-fledged state to a Union Territory has no precedent in independent India.