Jammu Tawi, Feb 5: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra on Thursday demanded that the centre spell out a clear timeline for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory.
Taking part in the motion of thanks on the Lt Governor’s address in the legislative assembly here, Karra also suggested the constitution of an all-party MLA panel to facilitate the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley.
He said the democratic process in J-K was restored only after the intervention of the Supreme Court; otherwise, this assembly would not have formed.
“The LG spoke of participatory governance and public trust, but I want to ask how such trust could exist when the people’s core demand — restoration of statehood — remained unresolved,” the Congress leader said, pointing out that statehood was mentioned in his previous address but omitted this time.
He said the national leadership of Congress, like party president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, had raised the demand in Parliament and in a letter to the Prime Minister, seeking immediate restoration of statehood.
Today, we ask a fundamental question to the central government through this House. They keep saying that statehood will be granted at an appropriate time. We should be told what the right time is. What is its measure? What is its standard? And how long will the people of Jammu and Kashmir have to wait?” Karra said.
In a veiled dig at the BJP, he said that while the majority of the people are demanding restoration of statehood, there are some quarters that want to make Jammu a separate state.
