Srinagar (Jammu and Kashir) [India], August 10 : Congress leader Pawan Khera on Sunday said that the Congress party began a 10-day hunger strike in Srinagar, demanding statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.
The senior Congress leader Pawan Khera emphasised that the agitation was part of a larger movement to stand up for the people of the Union Territory.
"This hunger strike is a series and will continue for 10 days. Our colleagues from J&K had come to Jantar Mantar (Delhi) before this but the police did not allow them to move. There was heavy rainfall, but they still reached there. Their struggle is for the public of J&K, their rights were snatched away brutally. It is essential to restore those rights. We had promised this in our manifesto during elections... We are fighting for this," Khera told reporters.
Referring to the Congress party's determination, Khera added, "Achhe achhon ko jhukaya hai Congress party ne aur iss desh ki awaam ne, J&K ki awaam ne. Kyun nahi jhukenge? They will have to."
The Congress party has maintained that the special status and statehood of Jammu and Kashmir were taken away without the consent of its people and that restoring them was a key promise in their election manifesto.
Party leaders have said the ongoing strike was aimed at increasing pressure on the government to fulfil this demand.
Earlier on July 20, Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said that the Jammu and Kashmir Congress leaders will protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, to demand statehood for the Union Territory during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
As the Parliament Session began on July 21, he said that the INDIA bloc will raise the demand for the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir in the Parliament."
"All INDIA alliance parties will strongly raise the issue of the statehood of J&K," he said.