JAMMU: Asking his party cadres to work hard to ensure victory in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections with an aim to restore statehood and further marginalise Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said Rahul Gandhi would have become prime minister if some states had given the party 25 more seats.
Kharge slammed Prime Minister Modi for downgrading Jammu and Kashmir to Union Territory status and said it is showing arrogance despite the setbacks in the recently concluded parliamentary elections. “We may not have won seats here in the parliamentary elections but the INDIA alliance got many seats here. If Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and other states had given us five seats each – a total of 25 seats – our leader Rahul Gandhi would have been the Prime Minister,” he told party workers here.
Kharge urged the party cadres to work hard on the ground and said, “That is why we must work hard. It is important to win. Victory cannot be achieved by words alone. If we keep talking without doing the ground work, it will not materialise.” The Congress president emphasised the importance of winning in Jammu and Kashmir to restore statehood and said that party workers have a huge responsibility.
“The upcoming elections are crucial because they affect your very existence. If you win, statehood will be restored. If you win, the legislative council will return. If you win, district, panchayat and municipal elections will be held,” he said. Kharge said Modi’s arrogance-ridden dictatorship will not continue if the party wins these elections.
“It is your responsibility. Rahul ji said that you are working for us. What I want to say is something different. We are doing it for you. Rahul ji, Sonia ji and Priyanka ji are doing it for you. Are they coming here to stay? What I want to say is that together we are working hard to save democracy and the Constitution of this country,” he added.
Kharge stressed that it is a battle to keep all democratic organs intact in Jammu and Kashmir, adding that it should not be forgotten that no one is doing anyone any favour. “Together we are working to save democracy and the Constitution. It is a huge responsibility for you. You may have ended Modi ji’s arrogance. Now by winning the elections in Jammu and Kashmir, you will further marginalise Modi and the BJP,” he said.
Kharge criticised the Prime Minister for his claims of development and progress in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and said Modi has done nothing but boast about his work with utter arrogance. “His destiny has changed. Just look at the fact that there is no democratic structure here. There are no assemblies, no panchayats, no councils, no municipalities. Who is responsible for all this?” Kharge asked.
“But he has taught them a good lesson. Rahul Gandhi’s yatra showed them their place in the 2024 elections. He does not have a majority but he continues to insist on his victory,” he added. Kharge criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments on restoring statehood and questioned how long it would take to restore it.
“Why did they not restore statehood before the elections? They had promised it to the people here. Why did they not fulfil their promise? Because they want to keep Kashmir under their occupation and continue their rule under the lieutenant governor who has become the maharaja or king here,” he said. Kharge added that Jammu and Kashmir is not governed by the rule of law but is ruled by a dictatorship.
“Modi and Shah continue to display a high degree of arrogance, but this will not last long. We are bringing a great cyclone and you will be consumed by it. You will not exist in the coming days,” he said.
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