Leaders of Opposition in Indian parliament Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have urged the Modi government to immediately restore full statehood to Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir along with Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh.
A strongly-worded joint letter, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, states that the people of [occupied] Jammu Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of statehood over the past five years—a demand the Opposition leaders described as “legitimate and firmly grounded in their constitutional and democratic rights.”
Highlighting the unique case of Jammu and Kashmir, the letter reads: “This is the first time a full-fledged state has been downgraded to a Union Territory following its bifurcation. This has no precedent in independent India.”
The leaders reminded Modi of his own commitments made on multiple occasions. They cited Modi’s interview in Bhubaneswar on May 19, 2024, where he reportedly said, “The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.” They also referred to his speech in Srinagar on September 19, 2024, where he reaffirmed, “We have said in Parliament that we will restore the region’s statehood.”
Furthermore, the letter noted that the Indian government had made similar submissions before the Supreme Court during the hearings on Article 370, promising that statehood would be restored “at the earliest and as soon as possible.”
“In view of the foregoing,” the letter urges, “we urge upon the Government to bring forward a legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the Jammu Kashmir.”
The Opposition leaders also pressed for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh.
The letter bears the signatures of Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
