'Snatching money to ... ': Rahul Gandhi's 'Raja' jibe at J&K LG Manoj Sinha

NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a jibe at J&K governor Manoj Sinha, who remains an important entity in the absence of the legislature, claiming that "Raja" (King) is "snatching" the Union territory's money to send it outside.
Addressing a rally in the poll-bound Valley, the Congress scion also tore into the BJP for keeping J&K aloof of the statehood even after five years of the special status abrogation, which stripped the region of its status and turned it into a Union territory.
The ex-Congress chief said the current administration resembles the region's past monarchial rule, which the country got rid of after its Independence in 1947.
"In 1947, we removed the kings, formed a democratic government and gave a Constitution to the country. But... Today, there is a 'king' named LG sitting in Jammu and Kashmir, who is snatching your money and giving it to outsiders. Therefore, our first step will be to return 'statehood' to Jammu and Kashmir," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Ramban.
He said the withdrawal of J&K's autonomous status has not only snatched its state identity but also diluted the rights and resources of its people.
"For the first time in the history of India, statehood has been snatched away. Union Territory was first made a state... A state has been abolished and the rights of the people have been snatched away. First of all, the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir has to be returned because not only your state has been snatched away, your rights, your wealth, everything is being snatched away from you," the Congress leader said.
Rahul Gandhi while pitching the party's stand for statehood said: "We wanted that you should first get statehood and then elections should be held. But the BJP does not want this, they say that first elections will be held and then the issue of statehood will be discussed. We are saying that whatever happens, we will get statehood for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Whether the BJP wants it or not, we will exert so much pressure that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will have to be given statehood," he added.
The Congress party and National Conference have reached an agreement for the upcoming assembly polls.
Out of 90 assembly seats, National Conference will contest on 51 seats while Congress will field its candidate on 32 seats.
The remaining 5 seats will see a friendly fight between the ally partners. J&K has 7 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
These upcoming polls will be the first in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.
Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.