The Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir has launched an 11-day hunger strike in Srinagar, intensifying its campaign for the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory. The protest, led by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra, began on Saturday, August 9, 2025, and is set to continue until August 21, coinciding with the conclusion of Parliament’s monsoon session. This move marks the latest in a series of demonstrations by the party, underscoring its commitment to reversing the constitutional changes imposed in August 2019.
Gathering at the Congress headquarters in Srinagar, party leaders and workers brandished banners emblazoned with the slogan “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq” (“Our State, Our Right”). The mood was resolute, with participants chanting demands for the return of statehood and vowing to sustain their protest for the full eleven days. According to The Observer Post, Karra emphasized that the Congress has consistently demanded the return of statehood, describing it as the “legitimate right” of the people. “Nobody can deprive us of this right,” he declared, calling the removal of statehood an injustice that must be rectified.
The timing of the hunger strike was deliberate, coinciding with the anniversary of the Quit India Movement—a nod to the region’s long history of political activism and struggle for autonomy. As reported by The Times of India, Karra stated, “No steps have been taken. We feel they are not serious about their promise. This has compelled us to stage protests last month in Srinagar, Jammu, and at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Now we have started this hunger strike programme.”
Congress’s campaign for statehood restoration is not new, but the current hunger strike represents an escalation in both tactics and rhetoric. The party staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi earlier this summer, where senior leaders—including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi—pledged to raise the matter in Parliament. On July 17, 2025, both Kharge and Gandhi wrote directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to introduce a bill in the ongoing monsoon session to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Just two days later, Congress held protests in Kashmir, followed by a demonstration in Delhi on the first day of the Parliament session.
The party also observed August 5, 2025, as a “black day,” marking the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and divided the state into two Union Territories. The central government, led by Prime Minister Modi, had repeatedly promised to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Yet, as Karra pointed out, “No steps have been taken,” fueling frustration among Congress leaders and supporters alike.
Despite the intensity of Congress’s push, the hunger strike has highlighted divisions within the broader opposition alliance. Notably, none of the INDIA bloc allies—including the influential National Conference (NC)—joined the Srinagar protest. This absence was not lost on Karra, who publicly questioned why other political forces, especially those who have also called for statehood restoration, were not standing alongside Congress. “Every party is appealing for restoration of statehood. What stops them from joining us?” he asked, a pointed reference to the NC’s reluctance to participate in the hunger strike.
The dynamics between Congress and the National Conference have grown increasingly complex. Last month, NC vice-president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed his displeasure at not being consulted or informed when Congress launched its Delhi protests. In a move that added another layer to the political maneuvering, Abdullah wrote to all national parties—including the ruling BJP—three days prior to the hunger strike, urging them to help bring a bill in Parliament’s current session for statehood restoration. However, Karra was critical of this approach, suggesting that Abdullah should have addressed his appeal directly to Prime Minister Modi. “I don’t know why he preferred parties for the letter rather than the PM,” Karra remarked, further illustrating the lack of coordination among opposition parties on this issue.
The hunger strike is part of a broader, multi-pronged campaign by Congress to keep the issue of statehood in the national spotlight and to increase public and political pressure on the central government. According to The Observer Post, the party has staged protests not only in Srinagar but also in Jammu and New Delhi over the past two months. Congress workers plan to continue their fasts in different districts of Jammu and Kashmir throughout the duration of Parliament’s monsoon session, aiming to maintain momentum and visibility for their cause.
The restoration of statehood has become a rallying cry for many in Jammu and Kashmir, cutting across party lines and ideologies. While Congress is leading the current charge, Karra has repeatedly called on all political forces—regardless of their affiliations—to join the struggle. The absence of broader opposition participation, however, has left Congress “ploughing a lonely furrow,” as The Times of India put it. This isolation has not deterred the party, which remains steadfast in its demand and has vowed to continue its struggle until the central government acts.
The BJP, for its part, has maintained that statehood will be restored at an appropriate time, but has not offered a concrete timeline or legislative action. This ambiguity has only intensified the frustration among Congress leaders and their supporters, who view the repeated promises as unfulfilled and insincere. The ongoing hunger strike, therefore, serves not only as a protest against the government’s inaction but also as a means of holding the ruling party accountable for its past commitments.
As the hunger strike enters its next phase, the spotlight remains firmly on Srinagar, where Congress leaders and workers continue their fast in the hope of galvanizing public support and forcing the central government’s hand. Whether this latest escalation will yield the desired results remains to be seen. For now, the Congress party’s message is clear: the fight for Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood is far from over, and they intend to keep pressing until their “legitimate right” is restored.
The coming days will test both the resolve of the Congress and the willingness of other political actors to join the cause. With Parliament’s monsoon session drawing to a close on August 21, all eyes are on New Delhi—and on the fasting Congress workers in Srinagar—as the battle for statehood continues to unfold.
