Congress to March in Srinagar Demanding J&K Statehood Restoration

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The Indian National Congress (INC) is set to organize a significant protest march in Srinagar tomorrow, Saturday, July 19, 2025, to press for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). This demonstration is part of a broader campaign by the Congress party to advocate for legislative action in the upcoming Parliament session, aiming to reverse the 2019 decision that downgraded the erstwhile state into a Union Territory.

The march, scheduled to commence from the Congress headquarters in Srinagar, will culminate at the divisional commissioner’s office. There, senior party leaders intend to submit a memorandum outlining their demand for the restoration of J&K’s statehood. This local protest precedes a planned “Delhi Chalo” program on July 22, where the party aims to encircle Parliament to intensify their push for the issue symbolically.

The Congress’s renewed focus on J&K statehood follows a joint letter penned by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week. In their communication, the Congress leaders underscored that downgrading a state to a Union Territory is “without precedent in independent India” and urged the government to introduce relevant legislation in the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. They also highlighted the central government’s past assurances to the Supreme Court regarding the swift restoration of statehood.

The demand for statehood in J&K has gained momentum across various political factions, including the National Conference, which recently formed the government in the region. Local political observers note that the continued Union Territory status limits self-governance and decision-making, leading to calls for a return to the region’s previous constitutional standing. As Tariq Hameed Karra, J&K Congress chief, stated, “Statehood is our constitutional right. Why wouldn’t we get it? We will raise this demand strongly.”

The protest march in Srinagar signals the Congress party’s commitment to keep the J&K statehood issue at the forefront of the national political discourse. The outcomes of both the Srinagar march and the subsequent “Delhi Chalo” program will likely shape the intensity of the debate surrounding Jammu and Kashmir’s future status in the upcoming parliamentary session.