JAMMU: Calling upon his party’s cadres to work hard to ensure victory in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections with the goal of restoring statehood and further marginalizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said that Rahul Gandhi would have become the prime minister if some states had given the party 25 more seats.
Kharge criticized Prime Minister Modi for downgrading Jammu and Kashmir to a Union Territory and said he shows arrogance despite the setbacks in the recently concluded parliamentary elections. “We may not have won seats from here in the parliamentary elections, but the INDIA alliance secured many seats from 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 the party workers here.
Urging the party cadres to work hard on the ground, Kharge said, “This 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 groundwork, it won’t materialize.” The Congress president emphasized the importance of winning in Jammu and Kashmir to restore statehood and said that a huge responsibility rests on the party workers.
“The upcoming election is crucial because it concerns your very existence. If you win, statehood will be restored. If you win, the legislative council will return. If you win, elections for district, panchayats and municipalities will be held,” he said. Kharge said that Modi’s dictatorship, marked by arrogance, will not continue if the party wins this election.
“It is your responsibility. Rahul ji said that you are working for us. My meaning is a bit different. We are doing this for you. Rahul ji, Sonia ji and Priyanka ji are doing this for you. Are they coming here to stay? What I am saying is that together, we are working hard to save democracy and the Constitution in this country,” he added.
Kharge stressed it is a battle to keep all the democratic bodies in Jammu and Kashmir intact, adding it should not be forgotten that no one is doing anyone any favours. “Together we are working to save democracy and the Constitution. This is a huge responsibility for you. You may have broken Modi ji’s arrogance. Now, by winning the elections in Jammu and Kashmir, you will further marginalize Modi and the BJP,” he said.
Lambasting the prime minister for his claims of development and progress in Jammu and Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370, Kharge said Modi has done nothing but boasts about his work with utter arrogance. “His destiny has changed. Just see, there is no democratic setup here. Neither an assembly, panchayats, councils, nor municipalities exist. Who is responsible for all this?” Kharge asked.
“But you have taught him a good lesson. Rahul Gandhi’s yatra showed them their place in the 2024 elections. He does not have a majority but continues to harp on his victory,” he added. Hitting out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on the restoration of statehood, Kharge questioned how long it would take to restore it.
“Why didn’t you restore statehood before the elections? You had promised the people here. Why didn’t you keep your promise? Because you intend to keep Kashmir under your occupation and continue your rule under the lieutenant governor, who has become a maharaja or king here,” he said. Kharge further said Jammu and Kashmir does not have the rule of law but is run through dictatorship.
“Modi and Shah continue to show a high degree of arrogance. But this won’t continue for long. We are bringing a big cyclone, and you will be consumed by it. They will have no existence in the days to come,” he said.
