The Congress on Monday called for elections in Jammu and Kashmir to be held by the Supreme Court-set deadline, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge alleging that the BJP's policy on J&K and Ladakh neither respects 'Kashmiriyat' nor upholds 'Jamhuriyat'.

Kharge's remarks come on the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, which saw the state bifurcated into two Union Territories. "BJP's policy on Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh neither respects 'Kashmiriyat' nor upholds 'Jamhuriyat (democracy)'," Kharge said in a post on X.

"The Modi government had claimed that this move would help to fully integrate Jammu and Kashmir, boost economic development of the region and prevent terrorism and separatism. However, the reality is starkly different," he said.

Kharge listed the following points to support his claim:

• "Since 2019, there have been 683 fatal terror attacks, resulting in the martyrdom of 258 security personnel and the loss of 170 civilian lives. Notably, 25 terror attacks have occurred in the Jammu region since PM Modi's third oath, claiming the lives of 15 soldiers and injuring 27. 

• Targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits have become a norm in the past few years. 

• A staggering 65% of government department posts in Jammu & Kashmir remain vacant since 2019.

• The unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 10%, with an alarming 18.3% youth unemployment rate.

• Despite the introduction of the New Industrial Policy in 2021, a mere 3% of investments have materialised on the ground.

• 40% of projects under the PM's Development Package, 2015, remain pending.

• Jammu and Kashmir's net state domestic product (NSDP) growth rate has declined from 13.28% (April 2015-March 2019) to 8.73% post-2019.

• The people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh yearn for normalcy, a sentiment they conveyed to Shri Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra."
  
  
  

"We demand that elections are held according to the Supreme Court set deadline so that people can elect their own representatives, secure Constitutional rights and put a full stop to this mechanism of being 'ruled by bureaucracy'," Kharge asserted.

The Indian National Congress stands firmly with the people of these regions, which are an integral part of India, he added.

The Supreme Court had directed the poll panel to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30. Whenever elections are held, they will be the first since the provisions of Article 370 were abrogated in 2019.