SRINAGAR: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha (LoP) and senior congress leader Rahul Gandhi opted to mix a political pitch with an emotional one while kicking off his party’s campaign in the Union Territory on Wednesday.
Gandhi kick-started his party’s election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, assuring people that his party along with the help of INDIA bloc partners will ensure restoration of statehood to the Union territory.
Gandhi made the restoration of statehood the central plank of his addresses on Wednesday while also reminding people of the ties of blood he and his family share with them, going as far back as his great-grandfather and India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Rahul also added that “For the first time in the history of India statehood was snatched, earlier Union Territory was made into a state.”
Former Congress President said his party would “restore statehood to J&K after coming to power”.He said we will ensure the return of statehood to the region, whether the BJP wants it or not. We will pressurise the government under the banner of the INDIA alliance. Mr Gandhi also took a jibe at the J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha – and the BJP-led government at the Centre through him – by calling him a ‘raja’ (king). “In 1947, we removed the kings and formed a democratic government. We gave the country a Constitution. But a raja is ruling Jammu and Kashmir today. His name is LG (lieutenant governor), but he is a raja.
Addressing a rally for the Congress candidate from Dooru, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, with National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, Mr Gandhi cited several decisions that had to be rolled back by the Centre and cited that as proof of the opposition INDIA alliance’s growing strength in the country. This strength, he told his audience, would ensure that J&K would be granted statehood if the people voted the INDIA alliance into power.
“The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has to announce the restoration of statehood to J&K, else the INDIA  bloc will be doing it as its first step after dethroning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party.
Addressing another rally in Anantnag, he spoke about the personal ties he has with the people of the state.”You know that you and I have a blood relation. This is not a political relationship. Be it Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi or Jawaharlal Nehru, it is an old relationship. Whatever you want from me, my doors are always open for you. I want to serve you in Parliament. I will raise your issues, your pain and your sorrow. The country needs to know that this is the first time in India’s history that a state has become a Union Territory,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP president J.P. Nadda dialled senior leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the party to calm tempers down after several of them were left out of the three candidate lists announced by the party for the upcoming Assembly election in the Union Territory.
Some senior leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, have not been fielded. Candidates for seats that others, such as Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta and even State unit chief Ravinder Raina, have contested in the past, have not been announced yet.
( Bureau Report with Media Inputs).

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