Congress Leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi Write to PM Modi, Demand Statehood for Jammu & Kashmir and Sixth Schedule for Ladakh

Dated 16th July 2025

News By Dr. B R Abdul Wajid

Editor in Chief

New Delhi : Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi have written a joint letter to the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, demanding the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

In the letter, both leaders highlighted that for the last five years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been continuously asking for the return of their full statehood. They said this demand is valid and based on the constitutional and democratic rights of the people.

They reminded the Prime Minister that this is the first time in the history of independent India that a full state has been downgraded to a Union Territory after its bifurcation. The Congress leaders pointed out that there have been examples in the past where Union Territories were granted statehood, but never has a state been reduced to UT status.

Shri Kharge and Shri Rahul Gandhi also quoted the Prime Minister’s past promises. They mentioned that on 19 May 2024, during an interview in Bhubaneswar, PM Modi had said, *”The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.”* Again, in a rally at Srinagar on 19 September 2024, PM Modi said, *”We have said in Parliament that we will restore the region’s statehood.”*

They also mentioned that the Union Government had given similar assurances to the Supreme Court in the Article 370 case, where it was submitted that statehood would be restored “at the earliest and as soon as possible”.

In their letter, the two leaders requested the Government to bring a Bill in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Along with this, they also demanded that the Government bring legislation to include the Union Territory of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. They said this would help protect the culture, land, rights, and identity of the people of Ladakh, and also support their development and political aspirations.

The Congress leaders said that restoring full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and including Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule are important steps to honour the promises made by the government and to ensure justice, dignity and democratic rights for the people of both regions. They urged the Prime Minister to take immediate action in the Monsoon Session of Parliament to fulfill these long-pending demands.