Rashtra Manch, a political action group started by former Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Minister Yashwant Sinha, on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must announce restoration of full Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in his Independence Day speech.
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In a statement, the group appealed to Opposition parties to also demand full Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, followed by free and fair elections. The Centre’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 and split the State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019 was taken “without any consultation with the people, who are the principal stakeholders in a democracy, and with their elected representatives”, the statement said. The group added that people in Jammu and Kashmir were still unable to exercise their rights of holding meetings and expressing their opinions openly.
“Furthermore, far from fulfilling the promise of attracting new investments and accelerating development, the Modi government’s actions have caused losses worth tens of thousands of crores to the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. Lakhs of youth have lost employment and there has been a worrisome increase in suicides among young people,” the statement read.
Terming it an exercise of their patriotic and democratic duty towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the Rashtra Manch called on the Prime Minister to announce restoration of full Statehood by the end of 2021 and deferment of the delimitation exercise till delimitation was held for the rest of the country.
The group said the Supreme Court should expedite its hearing on the challenge of the repeal of Article 370; separatism, terrorism and communal politics must be fought unitedly; and the government must prevent anti-India forces from exploiting the situation of Dil ki Doori and Dilli ki Doori, which Mr. Modi said he wanted to end at a meeting with Jammu and Kashmir leaders in June.
