'Your democratic rights have been ...': Rahul Gandhi reiterates demand for statehood for Jammu and Kashmir

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday reiterated the demand to restore full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government of taking away the democratic rights of the people of the state.
While addressing a public gathering in Poonch, the Congress leader said it was the first time a state was reduced to a Union territory.
"Union Territories have been converted into states many times. Union territories have been made into states, and states have been divided into two parts. One state was split; Andhra was divided into Andhra and Telangana, Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand was created from Bihar. But for the first time in India's history, a state has been turned into a Union Territory," Gandhi said.
"Your democratic rights have been taken away from you, and this has happened for the first time in India's history. For the first time, a state, Jammu and Kashmir, has been told that it will no longer be a State but a Union Territory. Therefore, we first demand that you be given back your State status and your State be returned to you," he added.
In 2019, the Modi government revoked Article 370, removed Article 35A, and restructured J&K into two Union territories under India's direct control. Since the reorganisation, no regional elections have taken place. However, the Supreme Court of India mandated that local legislative elections in Indian-administered Kashmir must be conducted by September 30, 2024.
The Congress and the National Conference are fighting the polls in alliance. The PDP, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and People's Conference, to name a few, are other parties in the fray for 90 Assembly seats.
The first phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir was completed on September 18, with a voter turnout of 61.13 percent recorded across 24 constituencies in seven districts, according to the Election Commission. The second and third phases of polling are scheduled for September 25 and October 5, respectively, with vote counting set to take place on October 8, along with the counting of votes in Haryana.