Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed “blood” ties with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and declared restoration of statehood – J&K was bifurcated into two union territories in August 2019, after the centre scrapped Article 370 – a “priority” for both him and his party.In a swipe at the Modi government, the Leader of the Opposition remarked, “We expected this (restoration of statehood, a demand of many opposition parties and activists) to be done prior to the election… but it is okay. Elections have been declared… it is a step forward.”
He also urged the people of J&K – who vote September 18, 25, and October 1 for a first Assembly election since 2014 – to “open shops of love in the market of hatred”; the reference was to his ‘nafrat ke bazaar mein, mohabbat ki dukaan khol’ war cry from the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“I love the people of J&K… I have a very old relationship, a blood relationship with them,” he said at a party event in Srinagar that was also attended by Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge.