Priyanka recalls visiting Kashmir with Indira Gandhi days before her assassination

“It was a call from her country and Mata that took her to Kashmir,” she recalls (File)

Bishna (Jammu):

The Congress will restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Saturday as she criticized the BJP for using the Union territory as a pawn to “stir up emotions” elsewhere in the country.

Mrs Gandhi, the Congress National General Secretary, also criticized Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, saying the current government is a “puppet government” run by remote control.

“The Congress party has a vision for you and for Jammu and Kashmir. We want to restore your state’s status. If our government comes to power, we will restore your state immediately. We will also revive the tradition of Darbar Move,” Ms. Vadra told a public meeting here.

Darbar Move refers to the biannual shifting of government offices, including the secretariat, between Jammu and Srinagar in view of the harsh winter in JK.

“We want to protect your rights, your rights to your land and your employment,” Mrs Gandhi said while supporting the party candidate in Bishna, Neeraj Kundan.

Reacting to Amit Shah’s comments on the statehood issue, she said, “I found it funny when the Home Minister said in his speech that if you want the statehood back, vote for us. But the fact is that they are the ones who have taken over the state. taking it away. It’s like a thief stealing your TV and then saying, “If you want it back, just ask me.” ‘They claim that only they can give it back. If our government comes to power, we will immediately restore your state,” Mrs. Gandhi said against the BJP government for “downgrading” JK to a Union Territory.

She added, “This is the highlight of the country. Nature has given you everything: these resources, this beauty. From here came the great sages who spread faith, culture and teachings not only in India but also in other countries .” But the BJP has taken everything you have, the Congress leader added.

Recalling her grandmother Indira Gandhi’s ‘deep bond’ with Kashmir, she said: “Four or five days before Indira Gandhi’s assassination, she told us that she wanted to visit Kashmir to see the autumn leaves. She took us to the Kheer Bhawani temple, and a few days after returning to Delhi, she was murdered.

“It was a call from her country and Mata that brought her to Kashmir,” she recalled, highlighting her family’s long-standing relationship with the region.

Mrs Gandhi during her speech also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was not taking the concerns of the people of JK seriously.

BJP leaders have made Jammu and Kashmir a pawn in their political chess game as policies are not being made for the people of the region, she said.

“They are made to arouse emotions across the country with you and serve political purposes,” Mrs Gandhi said.

“Even in Modi Ji’s speech, there was no seriousness about the genuine concerns of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Repairing train stations is not an achievement to brag about if the bigger issues of your rights, land and employment are ignored,” she said.

“What really matters are the genuine concerns of the people of JK. Why are these not addressed? Why don’t they focus on the truth? When did the Prime Minister take away the status of your state? The Congress leader also raised the issue of unemployment in her speech, claiming that half of the contracts meant for JK were awarded to outsiders. “You’re being robbed of your right to vote, and small businesses are being crushed by big corporations. Why is Jammu and Kashmir lagging behind in employment? Why is there so much unemployment?” The BJP government, she said, has set up a “system of loot, with a puppet government running things remotely,” she said.

“Land banks are being created and your land is being handed over to big industrialists, the same ones Modi Ji has favored across the country. The same is happening here in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mrs. Gandhi said.

Criticizing the government over the Agnipath scheme, Mrs Gandhi said: “They introduced Agniveer, a scheme that gives nothing to those who risk their lives at the borders and become martyrs. This is why all opposition parties are fighting and raising this issue repeatedly.

“This government and the Prime Minister are so arrogant that even though they know the plan is wrong and not beneficial for the youth, they refuse to back down,” she said.

She also addressed the drug addiction problem plaguing the region, saying that no BJP leader talks about it because they know the cause is unemployment. “Unemployment makes people fall prey to the drug mafia,” she said.

Mrs. Gandhi called on the people of Jammu and Kashmir to vote wisely, underscoring that the Congress’ vision includes restoration of the state, protection of land rights of locals and employment for the people.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)