Restore Jammu & Kashmir’s Statehood: Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge to PM Modi

Ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament, the two Congress leaders in their letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the government to bring legislation restoring full Statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir 

Ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi jointly wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (July 16, 2025), urging the government to bring a legislation to grant full Statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

They also requested that the government bring forward legislation to include the Union Territory of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution.

Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarks and government assurances before the Supreme Court, Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi said this would be in line with the government’s commitment to restore Statehood.

For the past five years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of full Statehood. This demand, the two Congress leaders said, is both legitimate and firmly grounded in their constitutional and democratic rights.

“It is important to recognise that while there have been instances of Union Territories being granted Statehood in the past, the case of Jammu and Kashmir is without precedent in independent India. This is the first time a full-fledged State has been downgraded to a Union Territory following its bifurcation,” Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi wrote.

They also flagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks citing his interview in Bhubaneswar on 19 May 2024, where he had reportedly said, “The restoration of Statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.” While addressing a rally in Srinagar on September 19, 2024, the two leaders pointed out PM Modi reaffirmed, “We have said in Parliament that we will restore the region’s Statehood.”

They also pointed out that the government has made similar assurances before the Supreme Court in the Article 370 matter, submitting that Statehood would be restored “at the earliest and as soon as possible.”

“In view of the foregoing and aforementioned, we urge upon the Government to bring forward a legislation in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament to grant full Statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi said.

“Additionally, we request that the Government bring forward legislation to include the Union Territory of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution,” they said.

“This would be a significant step towards addressing the cultural, developmental, and political aspirations of the people of Ladakh, while safeguarding their rights, land, and identity,” Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi said in their letter.