‘No discard among alliance partners’
Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Oct 22: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president and Member of Legislative Assembly from Central Shalteng, Tareeq Hameed Karra, today said that restoration of Statehood with certain amendments won’t be acceptable to people of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Speaking to reporters here, Karra urged the Omar Abdullah led Government to pressurize the Central Government for restoration of Statehood in its original form, without any amendments.
“We have learnt from our sources that the Government intends to grant Statehood with amendments, which will not be acceptable to us,” he said.
When asked about the recent Cabinet resolution on restoration of Statehood, Karra said, the Government should prioritize the restoration of statehood as soon as possible.
“Whether this should have been done in the Cabinet or elsewhere is a separate issue; we just want them to work towards restoring Statehood as soon as possible,” he added.
The Congress chief pointed out that both Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Home Minister, Amit Shah, have publicly stated in the Parliament that Statehood would be restored at the appropriate time.
“That time has come. What punishment are you now inflicting on the people? You have created a narrative across the country regarding the reasons for not granting Statehood, and those reasons have now been resolved,” he added.
Karra said that the conditions of the Modi Government for not restoring statehood have now been met and even elections have been held and said there is no reason for the delay now.
“We have a principled stand, but that does not mean we oppose Government formation. We support the Government for better functioning, but we want to remind the Central Government that the conditions for restoring Statehood have been met time and again. You have said that peace should prevail here, that elections were not happening, and that you wanted trade to flourish,” he said.
The Congress chief dispelled rumours of discord among alliance partners National Conference and Congress while affirming their commitment to support the Government in fulfilling its promises to the people.
He emphasized that the Congress did not contest the elections to gain power or Ministerial positions but to restore rights that have been taken away, including Statehood, land, and job rights.
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