Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, attributing Gandhi’s ability to dine at Lal Chowk in Srinagar to the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over the past decade. He also challenged Rahul Gandhi to clarify Congress party’s stance on Article 370 and the National Conference’s resolution.
“Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should tell the people of the country about the resolution of the National Conference. They should also talk about Congress’s stand on Article 370. Do they want to snatch the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir again?” Reddy questioned while speaking to reporters in Jammu. He added, “It is due to the 10 years of work by the Narendra Modi government that he (Rahul Gandhi) was able to go to Lal Chowk and eat food last night.”
Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge, met with party workers in Jammu and Kashmir earlier on Thursday, in the lead-up to the first Assembly elections in the region since the abrogation of Article 370.
Polling in Jammu and Kashmir is scheduled to take place in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with the counting of votes on October 4. This election is significant as it marks the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
The region comprises 90 Assembly constituencies, including 74 general seats, nine reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), and seven for Scheduled Castes (SC). The total electorate stands at 87.09 lakh, including 44.46 lakh male, 42.62 lakh female, 169 transgender individuals, 82,590 persons with disabilities, 73,943 very senior citizens, 2,660 centenarians, 76,092 service electors, and 3.71 lakh first-time voters.
Jammu and Kashmir will be heading to the polls after a decade-long gap, as the last Assembly election was held in 2014.