Jammu And Kashmir: After SC Ruling, Congress Now Pushes For Statehood And Early Elections

After a meeting on Saturday (16 December), the Congress party has put forth demands for the reinstatement of statehood and early elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), responding to the recent Supreme Court decision on Article 370.

The executive committee of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) passed a resolution, chaired by Congress state president Vikar Rasool Wani, emphasising the need for restoring statehood and conducting assembly elections in J&K.

This resolution comes in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's verdict supporting the Centre's decision to revoke J&K's special Constitutional status.

A Congress spokesperson said that the resolution acknowledged the historical role played by the Congress party in integrating J&K with the Union of India and in recognising the aspirations of the people of J&K through Article 370.

According to the spokesperson, the resolution also spoke about an adverse impact on the people of J&K under the current regime, citing the loss of statehood status, job scams, land mafia, the proliferation of wine shops, and the introduction of smart metres.

It asserted the Congress' commitment to stand by the people during their struggle against what it termed a dictatorial attitude.

The resolution was passed following a meeting of the political affairs committee and the JKPCC executive committee held on Saturday in Jammu.