Kiran Rijiju’s remarks reflect Centre’s plan to not grant statehood to J-K soon: Congress

Tariq Hameed Karra

Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra on Sunday said the statement of Union Minister Kiran Rijiju declining a timeline for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory reflects the Centre's intention to not fulfil its promise to the people in near future.

Talking to reporters in Srinagar on Saturday, Rijiju said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have made it clear that statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will be restored in due course of time.

However, Rijiju, who holds the parliamentary affairs and minority affairs portfolios, declined to give a timeline for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory.

“Rijiju’s remarks are a clear message from the Modi government that it is not ready to grant statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in near future,” Karra said, addressing a workers' convention at Doongi in Rajouri district as part of the party's 15-day campaign to press for restoration of statehood.

Criticising the BJP-led central government for the failure to keep its promise on early restoration of statehood, he said the Centre made a commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the floor of parliament, before the Supreme Court and in numerous public rallies.

He called upon people to be ready for a struggle to get back their “dignity, status and rights” as a state.

Karra accused the BJP government of neglecting the border belt of Rajouri and Poonch districts during the last 10 years of its rule in the field of connectivity, health and education infrastructure.

“The railway project initiated by Rahul Gandhi after his visit to Rajouri in 2012 has been abandoned by the BJP-led government despite a survey proposing the project cost of Rs 13608 crore on the new line,” he said, adding several hundred schools were closed and merged in the region.