Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee continued its chain hunger strike for the second consecutive day on Monday, affirming that the party is committed to fighting for the basic rights and identity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The protest began on Sunday under the ‘Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq’ campaign, demanding the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory (UT).
J-K Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra told reporters, “The Congress has no choice but to defend the fundamental rights and identity of Jammu and Kashmir’s people. It is both our moral and political duty to stand up for them.”
Leading the strike alongside senior party leaders at the Congress headquarters in Sheedi Chowk, Karra emphasized the party’s resolve to restore statehood, which he called a basic right for the 1.4 crore residents of the region.
“We are not asking for anything new—only what the Modi government has repeatedly promised over the past six years. This overdue commitment is being denied arbitrarily and undemocratically,” he said.
On Monday, under the leadership of Udhampur district coordinator Thakur Balbir Singh, numerous party leaders and workers held a day-long dharna and hunger strike outside the district party office, raising slogans such as “Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq,” “Restore full statehood,” and “Statehood is the right of 1.4 crore J-K residents.”
Karra praised Congress cadres across Jammu and Kashmir for their daily participation in the hunger strike at their respective headquarters, pledging to continue until further notice.
Working president Raman Bhalla criticized the Modi government, accusing it of betraying the people of Jammu and Kashmir over the past six years. He claimed the BJP aimed to rule through proxies and exploit the region’s resources, deliberately downgrading the historic Dogra state.
Bhalla vowed, “We will persist in our struggle for statehood restoration until it is achieved, and we will intensify our efforts further.”
