Shillong, September 22: Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal has reaffirmed the party’s commitment to a “progressive agenda” for J&K where two phases of voting are yet to be conducted.
The second phase is scheduled for September 25, followed by the third phase on October 1. The counting of votes will be carried out on October 8.
Venugopal, who is also a Member of Parliament (Alappuzha, Lok Sabha), reiterated the party’s pledge to restore full statehood for J&K.
In a post on X, Venugopal wrote: “As Jammu & Kashmir votes to shape its own destiny after a decade, the Congress and its alliance are committed to keeping the people of the state at the centre of its policy making. We will carve out a path for J&K to attain full statehood, bring relief to the youth, farmers and poor suffering due to misgovernance, and bring an end to the rampant corruption taking place throughout the state. Ours is a progressive agenda that will transform J&K!”
Venugopal also shared a video titled ‘7 Guarantees of Congress for a Prosperous Jammu and Kashmir’.
The first and foremost promise is the restoration of statehood. The second commitment is to ensure the right to health for every family, which includes ₹25 lakh health insurance, affordable healthcare, mobile clinics at the tehsil level, and super-specialty hospitals in every district.
Empowering women is also a key focus, with the party pledging ₹3,000 for every woman head of a household.
Moreover, Congress also promised the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, constitutional rights for OBCs, a caste-based census, and the protection of land and job rights for the people of J&K.
On September 17, Congress released its manifesto for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, vowing to work towards restoring statehood if they form the government in the Union Territory, along with a range of welfare initiatives.
While the manifesto did not address the repealed Article 370, it emphasised prioritising the recruitment of local residents in government jobs, tenders, land allotment, and the region’s resources. (IANS)