New Delhi, Jan 27: Member of Parliament Chowdry Ramzan on Tuesday pitched for statehood restoration at Parliament floor leadersí meeting and said that the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir was not being allowed to discharge its responsibilities towards the people.
Meeting several Members of Parliament (MPs) and raising key issues concerning J&K at a meeting of floor leaders of different political parties in the Parliament, Ramzan demanded restoration of statehood to J&K and said, ìDespite a massive public mandate, the elected government is not being allowed to function fully or discharge its responsibilities towards the people.î
The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State (MoS) for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan, and floor leaders of all major political parties.
During the meeting, Ramzan highlighted a range of political, social, and economic concerns affecting J&K.
He raised the issue of prisoners from J&K lodged in jails outside J&K, seeking their repatriation to enable them to access legal assistance as provided under law.
Ramzan also demanded the release of prisoners involved in minor offences.
Referring to recent developments following the Delhi bomb blast, he urged the authorities to stop the harassment of labourers, students, and traders from J&K in different parts of the country.
On the economic front, Ramzan sought the waiver of Kissan Credit Card (KCC) loans of farmers, citing prolonged closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for over a month and repeated natural calamities, including hailstorms and untimely rainfall.
He also demanded suspension of interest and recovery of loans extended to the tourism industry in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.
Ramzan also called for a relook at the requirement of a 40 percent contribution from economically weaker states like J&K under the G Ram G program (erstwhile MGNREGA), terming it an undue burden on resource-constrained regions.
He urged the Centre to take these issues into consideration in the interest of justice, economic stability, and democratic governance in J&K.
