- Sunday, February 23, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Shubham Ghosh
INDIA’S former finance and home minister P Chidambaram on Monday (21) sought restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir saying the Parliament should repeal the “offending” laws in the upcoming monsoon session and restore the status quo ante in India’s northernmost and only Muslim-majority state.
The veteran leader posted a series of Hindi tweets in which he attacked the Narendra Modi government’s stand on the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Saying the Congress seeks a full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, Chidambaram said what was created under the Constitution of India can not be vitiated by any act of Parliament by misinterpretation and misuse of the provisions of the law of the land. He also said in another post that the bifurcation of the state has been challenged in the Supreme Court of India and the matter is pending for almost two years now.
‘Jammu and Kashmir people rights should be respected’
Recalling history, Chidambaram said Jammu and Kashmir was a “state” which had signed the document of accession and joined India. He said it should remain a state forever and not be treated like a part of “real estate”. He also said the rights and wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir should be respected.
The Congress leader’s remarks came ahead of the June 24 meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has convened where 14 political leaders from the state, including four former chief ministers, have been invited for talks. The meeting will be the first such one in close to two years since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre announced the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its bifurcation into Union Territories in August 2019.
The Congress on Sunday (20) said it is committed to restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s full statehood and the prime minister and the BJP should accept this demand in the interest of the Indian Constitution and democracy.
