Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed "blood" ties with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and declared restoration of statehood - J&K was bifurcated into two union territories in August 2019, after the centre scrapped Article 370 - a "priority" for both him and his party.
In a swipe at the Modi government, the Leader of the Opposition remarked, "We expected this (restoration of statehood, a demand of many opposition parties and activists) to be done prior to the election... but it is okay. Elections have been declared... it is a step forward."
Mr Gandhi also urged the people of J&K - who vote September 18, 25, and October 1 for a first Assembly election since 2014 - to "open shops of love in the market of hatred"; the reference was to his 'nafrat ke bazaar mein, mohabbat ki dukaan khol' war cry from the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
"I love the people of J&K... I have a very old relationship, a blood relationship with them," he said at a party event in Srinagar that was also attended by Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge.
"And it is our priority, and of the INDIA bloc, to restore statehood as soon as possible. We expected this would be done prior to the election but it is okay... elections have been declared and we hope statehood will also be restored, and the democratic rights of J&K people will (also) be restored," Mr Gandhi told reporters after meeting with Congress leaders in Srinagar.
"In India, after independence, many UTs were made into states... but there is only instance in which a state was downgraded... this is the first time. It never happened before," he thundered.
"For us (the Congress) representing the people of J&K is important. I will tell you why... I protect democracy all over the country but, for me, the aim is to remove the pain in the hearts of the people of J&K," he continued, stressing, "This is not a political statement I am making."
This is not the first time Mr Gandhi has claimed blood ties with J&K; in October 2012, at a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for a road tunnel connecting Kargil to the Kashmir Valley, he said, "I am a Kashmiri. I want to have a lifelong relationship with the people of J&K.
READ | J&K To Vote In 3 Phases, 1st State Poll Since Article 370 Was Scrapped
Congress boss Mr Kharge, who is the LoP in the Rajya Sabha, also appealed to voters.
"... as Rahul Gandhi said, his relationship with J&K is not limited to likes or dislikes. He is related to J&K by blood... and we hope J&K will stand by us in this coming election," he said, adding, "We need your votes to save the country... to save your culture and rights."
The J&K Assembly election will be held in three phases - September 18, September 25, and October 1. Counting of votes will take place on October 4. The Supreme Court last year had ordered the Election Commission to hold the election by September 30, 2024.
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