Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that said the I.N.D.I.A bloc will use its full force within Parliament and even hit the roads if the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is not restored after the ongoing assembly elections. Targeting the BJP-led Central government, Rahul Gandhi also said that Jammu and Kashmir was the first state that was turned into a UT in the history of independent India.
Addressing a public rally in support of party candidates in Jammu, former Congress president said that the division of J-K into two UTs was a grave injustice with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "It should have never happened and I guarantee you that if the BJP is not going to restore the statehood (after elections), we -- the INDIA alliance -- will use our full force in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and even come on the roads for the restoration of statehood to J-K,' he told the rally.
Rahul Gandhi says, "In the history of India, after 1947 several UTs were turned into states. States were divided - Telangana was formed out of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand was formed out of Bihar, Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. But for the first time after independence, a state was turned into a UT. This was done to Jammu & Kashmir. This is an injustice to you. Your democratic rights have been snatched away from you. Today J&K, is not run by the people of J&K, it is run by the people of other states.
This was Gandhi's third visit to Jammu and Kashmir in nearly three weeks. He visited Banihal and Dooru seats on September 4 ahead of the first phase of assembly elections on September 18. His second visit was to Surankote and Central-Shalteng two days ahead of the second phase of polls September 25. He reached Jammu on Wednesday and interacted with professionals at a hotel before moving to the JK Resort Ground to address a public rally.
