"INDIA bloc to raise J-K statehood demand in Parliament": Congress MP Venugopal condemns "arrest" of JKPCC President

New Delhi [India], July 20 : Congress MP KC Venugopal on Sunday said that the INDIA bloc will raise the demand to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
Sharing an X post, he wrote, "Did PM Modi lie on the floor of Parliament about granting statehood for J&K? If not, why has J&K Police arrested JKPCC President Tariq Hameed Karra ji & other Congress leaders?"
The Congress MP further questioned the police for allegedly sealing the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC)'s office in Srinagar.
"Why did they seal the PCC Office in Srinagar yesterday & stopped our party workers from protesting peacefully for statehood?" he wrote in the X post.
https://x.com/kcvenugopalmp/status/1946876486570655917?s=48
"In the upcoming Parliament session, INDIA alliance will be demanding that full statehood be restored in J&K immediately. This farce cannot go on any longer," the X post read.
The restoration of statehood has been a key demand from the regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh in August 2019.
Earlier today, Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra was allegedly detained by the police as he led a protest demanding statehood under the Congress' 'Humari Riyasat Humara Haq' campaign.
The X handle of J&K Congress wrote, "JKPCC President @TariqKarra arrested by BJP led LG police while conducting peaceful "Jammu Chalo" March under banner 'Humari Riyasat Hamara Haq' today in Jammu."
The party slammed the BJP over the alleged police action against party leaders.
Addressing reporters in Jammu today, Karra said, "Since the Constitutional changes of 2019, the Congress party has been continuously demanding J&K statehood to be restored. The Prime Minister has repeatedly given assurances for this both inside and outside the Parliament. However, when we realised that his assurances were just another slogan, the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir protested for this demand... Today we have a program to go to LG House. Tomorrow we have a programme to go to Delhi. But you can see in what brutal way our procession is being stopped... We will force the Bharatiya Janata Party to pass a bill to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir in the coming session."
On Saturday, Congress also wrote on X, "The @INCJammuKashmir, led by JKPCC President @TariqKarra ji, along with AICC General Secretary @GAMIR_INC ji and other senior leaders, organised a protest demanding the restoration of full statehood to Jammu & Kashmir. The "Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq" campaign, a movement of the Congress party, has reached every nook and corner of J&K over the past nine months."
Launching an attack against the BJP, Congress added, "Today, the police administration--controlled by the BJP--locked down the JKPCC headquarters in Srinagar and arrested several party workers en route to the protest."
"Given that it was a peaceful demonstration, such a blatant attack on democracy through the arrest of non-violent protesters is unacceptable. What is the BJP government so afraid of?" the X post read.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Tariq Hameed Karra called for a march towards the national capital on July 21.
"For the past 6 months, we have launched the 'Humari Riyasat Humara Haq' program across Jammu-Kashmir to restore statehood. We will intensify the program in Srinagar and Jammu, as we had previously announced. We have also called for 'Chalo Dilli Chalo' from Jammu and Srinagar," Karra told ANI.
He added that the party will surround the Parliament and raise their demands amid the Monsoon Session.
"We hope the administration will not obstruct this peaceful march... This campaign is now reaching its final phase, where we will march towards Delhi on the 21st, and our effort will be to surround Parliament to present our memorandum and raise our voice there. This letter from Rahul Gandhi has the support of the entire INDIA alliance. It has the support of 233 MPs," he said.