Jammu: A Congress delegation on Saturday visited the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) headquarters here as part of its outreach programme to seek support for its ongoing campaign for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The delegation led by party’s working president and former minister Raman Bhalla reiterated the Congress party’s resolve to fight for statehood and urged the business community to support this cause as stakeholders in the interest of the region’s future.
However, CCI president Arun Gupta said they cannot support the Congress campaign as the chamber is a “non-political” group.
“Our organisation is non-political and cannot raise any political issue. We can talk about industry, traders and local issues concerning the general public. Let all the parties come together to raise this demand, we will also make our stand clear,” Gupta told reporters after the meeting.
A Congress spokesman said the delegation discussed the issue of movement for the restoration of statehood to J&K as promised on multiple occasions in the past six years.
Addressing a gathering of prominent traders and industrialists, Bhalla said the prolonged denial of statehood has created a serious governance vacuum, leaving the people of Jammu and Kashmir disempowered and the economic fabric of the region severely disrupted.
“Every section of society is suffering, but the business community of Jammu is especially bearing the brunt of the BJP’s apathetic and unresponsive approach,” he said, adding, “Instead of providing relief to traders grappling with mounting losses, the administration has taken decisions that have further burdened them.”
He alleged that the BJP-controlled administration has implemented arbitrary and anti-business measures without consulting stakeholders, further straining an already struggling economy.
Bhalla said this approach reflects a lack of sensitivity and accountability, which could only be rectified through the restoration of a full-fledged state in Jammu and Kashmir.
Expressing solidarity with the business community, the Congress leader called on them to join the broader democratic movement for the restoration of statehood, assuring that their issues would be addressed more effectively under a responsive state government.
“Our demand for the restoration of statehood is not just political—it is essential for the economic, administrative, and democratic revival of Jammu and Kashmir. We need a government that is answerable to the people, not to bureaucrats sitting far away,” he said.
He assured CCI members that once statehood is restored, mechanisms would be put in place to ensure transparent governance, ease of doing business, and policies that reflect local aspirations.
