Rahul vows restoration of 'snatched' J&K statehood

JAMMU: Rahul Gandhi kicked off Wednesday his J&K election campaign with rallies in Jammu and Anantnag, accusing BJP of "snatching" the region's statehood and vowing that Congress would have it restored with help from its INDIA Alliance partners.

"They (BJP) snatched not only your statehood but also your rights, money, and everything," Rahul told a rally at Sangaldan in Banihal constituency of Jammu's Ramban district ahead of the three-phased assembly polls from Sept 18 to Oct 1. These are the first assembly polls after the 2019 abrogation of J&K's special status.

Congress is contesting the polls in a tie-up with INDIA bloc ally NC. "For the first time in independent India, a state was downgraded to a UT, and the rights of people snatched," Rahul said, referring to the 2019 abrogation.