Early Times Report
Jammu, June 20: As soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Srinagar for his first visit to the Union Territory, Member of Parliament and General Secretary in-charge Communications of the Congress Jairam Ramesh asked the government to set a time frame for restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Srinagar Congress party posed critical questions in Hindi about the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory. These inquiries come amid concerns over the region’s political status and the delay in holding assembly elections.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has directly challenged the government: “When will full statehood return to Jammu and Kashmir?”
Since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the people of J&K have faced uncertainty, and their avenues for expressing grievances have been limited.
The region has been downgraded to a Union Territory (UT), and elections have been suspended, raising constitutional concerns.
“Home Minister Amit Shah previ Congress party posed critical questions in Hindi about the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory.
When will full statehood return to Jammu and Kashmir?”
The last Assembly elections were held in 2014. The delay in holding assembly polls has left four RS seats vacant
“The last Assembly elections were held in 2014. The delay in holding assembly polls has left four seats in the Rajya Sabha vacant”, he further said.
He further said that the Chief Election Commissioner highlighted the government’s failure to reconcile the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, with the Delimitation Exercise, 2022, hindering the electoral process.
The Supreme Court-imposed deadline of September 2024 has compelled the Centre to conduct polls.
Questions persist about the prolonged delay in holding elections and the government’s commitment to democratic processes.
“Despite claims of curbing terrorism, the ground reality in J&K remains tense. Since January 2023, 35 security personnel and eight civilians have lost their lives in the Pir Panjal Range (Rajouri-Poonch area), where incidents were previously rare”, he further said. | 