New Delhi: The Congress party has officially demanded that Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) be granted full statehood in preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections, aiming to restore the region’s autonomy.

According to Kashmir Media Service announcement issued on 16 August 2024, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticized recent legislative changes via a post on X, stating that the Indian government’s amendments have disproportionately empowered the lieutenant governor at the expense of the elected state government. “The Indian National Congress welcomes the announcement of elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The Supreme Court had set a deadline for the conduct of the elections, and we had demanded that elections must be held at the earliest to secure Constitutional rights and put a full stop to this mechanism of being ‘ruled by bureaucracy’,” Kharge explained.

He further highlighted that just before the announcement of the election dates, a significant reshuffling of bureaucrats took place, which he sees as a continuation of the BJP’s control over the state administration through bureaucratic channels. Kharge also criticized the Modi government’s approach over the past decade, claiming it has tried various electoral experiments in the region, which were rejected by the local populace as undermining their constitutional rights.

Additionally, Kharge pointed out the disparity in representation for Ladakh, which, unlike in the past when it held four assembly seats, now lacks directly elected MLAs.

Kharge’s critique extended to the BJP’s governance in Haryana as well, where he lamented the state’s high unemployment rates, recruitment scams, and stagnant law and order, all of which he attributed to the failures of the “double engine BJP government.”