New Delhi, July 16: In a strong political push ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have jointly written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to fulfil the government’s commitment to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and to bring Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The joint letter, dated July 16, highlights that for the past five years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently demanded the return of statehood, a demand that the Congress leaders termed both “legitimate and firmly grounded in their constitutional and democratic rights.”
The letter as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust underlines the uniqueness of Jammu and Kashmir’s case, stating that while Union Territories have in the past been granted statehood, this is the first instance in independent India’s history where a full-fledged state was downgraded to a Union Territory. “This unprecedented move following the bifurcation has led to widespread demands for its reversal,” the leaders noted.
Quoting Prime Minister Modi’s previous statements, the opposition leaders reminded him of his public commitment to restoring statehood. They cited his remarks in Bhubaneswar on May 19, 2024, where he called statehood restoration a “solemn promise,” and his rally speech in Srinagar on September 19, 2024, where he reaffirmed, “We have said in Parliament that we will restore the region’s statehood.”
The Congress leaders also invoked the Union Government’s assurances before the Supreme Court during hearings on Article 370, in which it promised that statehood would be reinstated “at the earliest and as soon as possible.”
In addition to Jammu and Kashmir, the letter calls for urgent attention to the aspirations of the people of Ladakh. Kharge and Gandhi requested that the government introduce legislation to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a move they said would protect the region’s unique cultural, developmental, and political identity.
They emphasized that such inclusion would be a meaningful step in safeguarding the rights, land, and identity of Ladakh’s people, while also fulfilling long-standing public demands.
The letter concludes with a direct appeal to the Prime Minister to bring forward appropriate legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to address both issues, underlining the political and constitutional responsibility of the central government.
