In a bold move, over 160 Jammu and Kashmir Congress leaders embarked on the ‘Delhi Chalo’ campaign on Monday, traveling from Jammu to the national capital to gherao Parliament and demand the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. Led by Congress national general secretary Ghulam Ahmed Mir and J-K Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra, the group accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failing to honor repeated promises to restore statehood.

“Despite the PM’s commitments inside and outside Parliament, statehood remains unrestored 10 months after the Lok Sabha elections,” Mir told reporters in Jammu, as the leaders boarded five double-decker buses. Karra added, “We are heading to Delhi to wake up this deaf and blind government. Statehood is our constitutional right, and we will gherao Parliament to press for it.”

The campaign follows a series of protests, including ‘Srinagar Chalo’ on July 19 and a march in Jammu on July 20, where police stopped leaders from reaching Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Both Karra and Mir were detained during the Jammu protest. The agitation was spurred by a letter from Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge to the PM, urging immediate action on statehood restoration.

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The Congress leaders vowed to intensify their protests in Delhi, criticizing the government’s silence on the issue despite public and parliamentary assurances.

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