The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress party began an 11-day hunger strike in Srinagar on Saturday, demanding the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory. The protest is being led by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra.
Party leaders and workers gathered at the Congress headquarters, holding banners that read “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq” (Our State, Our Right). They said the campaign would continue for eleven days as part of a larger effort to reverse the constitutional changes made in August 2019.
Karra said the Congress has consistently demanded the return of statehood, calling it the “legitimate right” of the people. “Nobody can deprive us of this right,” he said. He described the removal of statehood as an injustice and vowed that the party would continue its struggle until the demand is met.
Earlier, the Congress staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where senior leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, pledged to raise the matter in Parliament. The hunger strike in Srinagar is the latest step in the party’s ongoing push to increase public and political pressure on the central government over the issue.
