Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra on Friday stated that his party would join National Conference’s protest at Jantar Mantar to seek statehood – the movement for which was charted by Congress only.“Although they (NC) had not earlier accepted Congress’ invite to join its movement for statehood, but we cannot stay away from its (NC’s) call to join its protest (at Jantar Mantar) as the course (movement for statehood) was charted by us. We will also join because the matter relates to the future of J&K and the sentiments of 1.40 Cr people of J&K,” said Karra, while addressing a press conference at PCC office here.
He informed that the NC had invited AICC president Mallikarjun Kharg, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and LoP Rahul and him (Karra) in his capacity as JKPCC president for participation in its Jantar Mantar protest.
“As far as our central leadership’s participation is concerned, the Indian National Congress too will participate in the protest. But it is for them to decide the level of participation,” he said.
Karra asserted that the statehood movement was conceived, championed, followed up consistently by the Congress and to take it to its logical conclusion, the party was relentlessly continuing its programmes and agitating at the district and block level under “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq.”
“The culmination of our (Congress’) current ongoing phase of agitation for statehood was already scheduled on July 20. But after the NC announced its Jantar Mantar protest on July 20, we preponed our scheduled programme to July 19,” he stated.
Karra said that on July 19, the party would hold a sit-in dharna at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, Jammu, followed by a march towards Lok Bhawan, Jammu to submit a memorandum to the President of India for the early restoration of statehood.
All senior leaders, legislators, ex-ministers, ex-legislators, ex-corporators, district presidents, block presidents and frontal wings would participate in the scheduled programme, he shared.
JKPCC president maintained that to further intensify the movement at the constituency level also, the party had chalked out its programme.
“If the Centre does not fulfill its promise, we have also planned a Yatra from Lakhanpur to Lolab. We have already discussed it with our leader Rahul Gandhi also. At present, we are working on the logistics for our proposed march,” he said.
Karra, while reiterating that Congress not only championed the cause of statehood since August 5, 2019 but also relentlessly fought for it. It also pursued its “Dilli Chalo” march, which was participated by Congress’ central leadership as well.
“A day after the withdrawal of J&K’s special status, in terms of Article 370 and 35-A unilaterally, undemocratically and unconstitutionally, by the BJP government- on August 5, 2019, the All India Congress Committee had passed a resolution condemning the act of Government of India and seeking the restoration of statehood to J&K forthwith. Since then, it has been our persistent demand. Our leadership last year even wrote a letter to the Centre reiterating the demand for immediate restoration of statehood,” he said.
Karra stated that the party even turned down the repeated requests of NC to be part of J&K cabinet as a part of its (Congress’) principled stand declared well before the elected government took oath that it would not accept cabinet berths until the restoration of statehood.
Responding to a question about former JKPCC president Prof Saif-ud-din Soz’s statement calling the NC not to confine its protest to statehood demand only but to assert restoration of Article 370 also, Karra reiterated that it had no connection with the party (Congress) and it was his (Soz’s) personal view.