Rahul Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah Announce Alliance for Jammu and Kashmir Elections
Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 22: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, emphasized the importance of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and representing its people. He highlighted the cultural richness of Jammu, calling it the land of Maa Vaishno Devi, and stressed the need to protect its unique history and languages.
Addressing the people of Jammu, Gandhi said, “We want statehood for you, that is in your heart. We want you to run your state the way you want to, this is the message we came to convey.” He also expressed his personal connection to the region, stating, “My relation with you all is that of love and family. My family comes from your state, so you have to keep in mind that I am your soldier in Delhi.”
Gandhi described the upcoming assembly elections as a battle of ideologies between the Congress and the RSS. He mentioned that Congress workers have caused significant psychological tension for Prime Minister Modi.
Earlier, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi met with National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. The Congress and NC have formed an alliance for the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Farooq Abdullah announced that the alliance will contest 90 seats, with details of seat-sharing to be finalized soon.
Farooq Abdullah stated, “People have suffered much in the last 10 years. Statehood is the prime concern for us. And we want all the powers of the state. Our common program is to fight divisive forces.”
The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with results announced on October 4. This will be the first assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.
Doubts Revealed
Rahul Gandhi -: Rahul Gandhi is a leader from the Congress party, which is one of the major political parties in India. He is the son of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
Farooq Abdullah -: Farooq Abdullah is a senior politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He is the leader of the National Conference party and has served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Alliance -: An alliance is when two or more groups come together to work towards a common goal. In this case, the Congress party and the National Conference party are working together for the elections.
Jammu and Kashmir -: Jammu and Kashmir is a region in northern India. It has beautiful mountains and valleys and is known for its unique culture and history.
Statehood -: Statehood means being recognized as a state with its own government. Jammu and Kashmir used to be a state but is now a Union Territory, which has less autonomy.
Assembly elections -: Assembly elections are when people vote to choose their representatives in the state government. These representatives make decisions and laws for the state.
Ideologies -: Ideologies are sets of ideas and beliefs about how a country should be run. Different political parties have different ideologies.
Congress -: The Congress party is one of the oldest and largest political parties in India. It has played a major role in India’s history and politics.
RSS -: RSS stands for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It is a Hindu nationalist organization in India that influences the ideology of the BJP, another major political party.
National Conference -: The National Conference is a political party in Jammu and Kashmir. It focuses on the issues and needs of the people in that region.
90 seats -: In the context of elections, seats refer to the positions in the legislative assembly that candidates are competing for. There are 90 such positions in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.
Three phases -: Elections are sometimes held in phases to manage the voting process better. In this case, the elections will happen in three separate stages, starting on September 18.
