A delegation of CPI(M) leaders visited Jammu & Kashmir on June 10-11, 2025.
The delegation was headed by General Secretary M A Baby. The other members of the delegation were: Amra Ram, Polit Bureau member, MP (Lok Sabha); K Radhakrishnan, Central Committee member, MP (Lok Sabha); John Brittas, invitee to the Central Committee, MP (Rajya Sabha); Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, MP (Rajya Sabha); Su Venkatesan, MP (Lok Sabha) and A A Rahim, MP (Rajya Sabha). CPI(M) MLA and Central Committee member Mohd. Yusuf Tarigami also accompanied the delegation.
The delegation visited the families of those affected by cross-border shelling in Uri recently to make an assessment of the people’s sufferings in the border areas. They also addressed a day long convention of Party workers at the Tagore Hall, Srinagar.
Restore Constitutional Rights in J&K: CPI(M)
Wahid Sultan Dar
THE Jammu & Kashmir committee of CPI(M) organised a one-day convention at Tagore Hall, Srinagar, on June 11, calling for the restoration of the legitimate constitutional rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The convention was addressed by M A Baby, general secretary of the CPI(M); Amra Ram, Member of Parliament and president of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha; Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Member of Parliament; and M Y Tarigami, MLA and CPI(M) Central Committee member. The convention was presided over by senior CPI(M) leader Ghulam Nabi Malik.
While addressing the gathering, M A Baby praised the people of Kashmir for their spontaneous protests against the gruesome killing of unarmed tourists in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. He emphasized the need for unity among the people to resist forces that seek to sow disharmony. Reiterating the CPI(M)’s position, he stated that the restoration of Article 370, statehood, and other constitutional rights is essential for rebuilding trust and achieving lasting peace in the region. “Following the Pahalgam incident, we demanded the summoning of a special session of Parliament to discuss the current security situation in Jammu & Kashmir and the growing tensions between the two countries. However, the government seems reluctant to face the opposition,” he said.
Amra Ram, stated that the CPI(M) has consistently advocated for the restoration of democratic rights in Jammu & Kashmir, which were arbitrarily revoked on August 5, 2019, without consulting the people or stakeholders. Referring to the aftermath of the Pahalgam incident, he pointed to severe escalation along the borders that has devastated residential areas in Poonch, Rajouri, Uri, Keran, and Tangdhar, resulting in the loss of innocent lives, livestock, and property. “The compensation of just Rs 1.30 lakh per household is wholly inadequate and amounts to an eyewash. It must be increased substantially,” he demanded.
He further noted, “For the first time in India’s constitutional history, a state was bifurcated and downgraded into two union territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh – an act that goes against the democratic ethos and spirit of the Constitution.”
Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said that Kashmiriyat – a symbol of unity and brotherhood – has historically withstood trials, including during the bloodshed of the 1947 Partition, when much of the subcontinent was engulfed in communal violence. “This spirit of unity must be preserved and strengthened in the larger interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, assuring that the CPI(M) will continue to strongly advocate for the restoration of constitutional rights to the people of the region in Parliament.
M Y Tarigami recalled that during the difficult period following August 5, 2019, the CPI(M) had vociferously opposed, at the national level, the unconstitutional abrogation of Article 370 and the downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. He described the move as a unilateral and direct assault on the region’s constitutional relationship with the Union of India. “This is the only instance in India where the boundaries of a state were redrawn under curfew, with restrictions on the media, and the detention of political leaders and activists,” he said.
Tarigami criticised the government’s claim that the abrogation would lead to a flood of jobs, saying the reality on the ground starkly contradicts this promise. “We, the people of J&K, must stand united to oppose these undemocratic actions and demand the return of the constitutional rights that were stripped on August 5, 2019,” he asserted.
He further emphasized that the Government of India must honour the assurances made on the floor of Parliament regarding the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir following assembly elections. He called for the rationalisation of reservations, in line with the Supreme Court’s position, to provide relief to large sections of unemployed youth. He also urged the government to end the ongoing arrests of youth in the region.
Tarigami assured the audience that CPI(M) will continue to raise and pursue the critical issues facing the people of Jammu and Kashmir in Parliament – including the restoration of constitutional rights, the concerns of apple growers, and the unemployment crisis.
The convention was also addressed by senior CPI(M) leader Ghulam Nabi Malik and Mohammad Abass Rather, secretary of the CPI(M) state committee.
The convention concluded with a renewed call for the immediate restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status, statehood, and democratic rights, as the first step towards a peaceful and inclusive future.
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