Jammu: Intensifying its campaign for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, senior Congress leaders from the Union Territory left for New Delhi on Monday under the party’s ‘Delhi Chalo’ programme to stage a protest near Parliament.
Led by J&K Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra and AICC General Secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir, more than 160 party leaders and workers departed in five double-decker buses from Jammu.
The move follows a series of statehood protests held earlier in Srinagar and Jammu.
Speaking to reporters before departure, Ghulam Ahmad Mir as per news agency KINS accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying the people of J&K. “The Prime Minister has made multiple commitments — inside and outside Parliament — to restore statehood. Yet, 10 months after the Lok Sabha elections, nothing has been done. We are heading to Delhi to intensify our agitation and demand action,” Mir said.
Tariq Hameed Karra called the restoration of statehood a “constitutional right” of the people. “We want to wake up this deaf and blind government. They made promises to restore our rights, but remained silent. We are going to Delhi to hold them accountable,” Karra said.
He added that the protest is a continuation of a larger movement that began with the ‘Srinagar Chalo’ march on July 19, followed by ‘Jammu Chalo’ on July 20 — both demanding restoration of full statehood.
Karra said the ‘Delhi Chalo’ campaign has been launched following a formal letter sent by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to Prime Minister Modi, urging the immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“We won’t stop until the promise made to the people of J&K is fulfilled,” Karra asserted.
