Jammu, July 16 -- Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, have jointly written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pressing for immediate legislative action to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

According to a letter a copy of which lies with Kashmir News Service (KNS), dated July 16, underscores the consistent demands of the people of Jammu and Kashmir over the past five years and frames the issue as a matter of constitutional and democratic rights. "This is the first time in independent India that a full-fledged state has been downgraded to a Union Territory," the letter notes, calling the situation wit...