Jammu and Kashmir: Will Bharat Jodo Yatra help revive Congress's fortunes?

Rahul Gandhi attacked the central government's decision to revoke the special status of the former state, calling it a "grave insult" to the people of the region.

New Delhi, Jan 23: As the chances of assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir grow brighter, the prominent political parties have started taking positions on the burning issues, particularly the restoration of statehood and Article 370 of the Constitution which was nullified by Parliament in August 2019.

Entering Jammu and Kashmir on the last leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the central government's decision to revoke the special status of the former state, calling it a "grave insult" to the people of the region.

"The Congress party will fully support you and your statehood (demand). To reinstate statehood, the Congress will use our full power," Gandhi told a gathering at the Satwari Chowk here.
"Statehood is your biggest issue. There is no big issue as big as statehood. Your right has been snatched," he said.

Gandhi said he spoke to a cross-section of people from J&K during his yatra and they raised their issues.

He said they told him that their voices are not being heard by the administration.

"The entire trade is being run by outsiders and people of J&K watch them sitting haplessly," he said.
Gandhi said Jammu and Kashmir has the highest level of unemployment in the country.

Youngsters aspire to become engineers, doctors and lawyers but they find they cannot, he said.

"There was another way (to get employment) earlier. It was with the Army. It has also been closed now by a new scheme, called Agniveer, introduced by BJP. That path is also now closed," he said.

Resentment among local Kashmiris

The same Bharat Jodo Yatra received huge opposition from local Kashmiri people, who called it a sham. The crowd also yelled the slogans of "Go Back Rahul Gandhi, Go back."

Naming it a political stunt rather than a means of connecting with people, one of protesters at the Lal Chowk said, "The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi is a political stunt. It is not for people. It is for their party which is on the verge of dissolution. Rahul Gandhi is conducting Yatra for his benefit and he has nothing to do with connecting people."

Alleging that the grand old party has done nothing for Kashmir, he further remarked, "It is Congress who has divided Bharat in the past. With what right is Rahul Gandhi coming here to meet Kashmiri people? He has done nothing for the state. Where was he when lakhs of Kashmiris were dying? This is all a sham, a lie."

However, another protester reiterated that the country was divided only by Congress. "Bharat ko inhi logo ne toda hai. Ab kyu aye hai jodne (These are the ones who have created a divide in Bharat. Why have they come now)," he said.

Gulam Nabi Azad's exit

Senior Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad's exit from the Congress after serving the party for 52 years has added an important third dimension to the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Azad has a very clean and positive image and likely to upset the political applecart of the NC, PDP and Congress.

His image in the Muslim-dominated constituencies in Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban, and other districts is far better than his rivals.

Azad has a scale-tilting presence in nearly 17 seats out of 43. If he were to win a good number of these seats, it can throw up a fractured mandate in the valley, Azad could well be not only the kingmaker but the king himself.

In a big boost for the Congress, a host of senior leaders, including former J&K Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who had quit the Grand Old Party along with Ghulam Nabi Azad, returned to the party.

Would Bharat Jodo Yatra be a fresh beginnings for Congress in Kashmir? Looks a tough call.

Since November 2018, when the legislative assembly was dissolved by then-governor Satya Pal Malik, Jammu and Kashmir has been without the elected government.