New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to bring a bill in the ongoing Monsoon Session to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the letter, Raja said it is a matter that concerns not only the people of Jammu and Kashmir, but also the “very spirit of our Constitution and the federal ethos of India”.
“In August 2019, when Article 370 was unilaterally abrogated and the state was downgraded to a Union Territory, I, along with other like-minded leaders, opposed the move on the floor of Parliament,” Raja said.
“Our struggle to regain full statehood continues since then. The reorganisation was presented as a temporary and transitional measure, and you yourself repeatedly assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the nation that statehood would be restored at the earliest,” he said.
The CPI leader said people of Jammu and Kashmir have demonstrated remarkable faith in democracy “despite prolonged disempowerment”.
“Their record participation in the recent Assembly elections, followed by the peaceful and united response to the tragic Pahalgam terrorist attack under the watch of the Union Territory administration, are powerful reminders that while the people remain committed to the idea of India, not everything is normal on the ground,” he said.
Raja said the denial of statehood is not just a regional issue but a constitutional concern.
“In our history, the trajectory has always been from Union Territory to state, never the reverse. To single out Jammu and Kashmir for this prolonged and unprecedented disempowerment erodes the very principle of equality that was invoked by you to justify the changes of August 2019,” he claimed.
He said that it also sets a dangerous precedent where the federal character of the Republic could be reduced to a matter of central discretion rather than a constitutional right.
“In this backdrop, I earnestly urge you to bring forward a Bill to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament itself,” he said. PTI AO RT RT
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