Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Wednesday, 28 July, addressed the Rajya Sabha and said that Jammu and Kashmir will be granted statehood once "normalcy is restored" in the region.
The written statement came in response to a question posed by Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi in Rajya Sabha.
The special status of the erstwhile state had been revoked by the BJP-led government in August 2019, dividing it into two Union Territories.
Chaturvedi also asked if the government was making efforts to end the year-long ban on different means of communication.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first direct engagement with leaders of Jammu and Kashmir since 2019.
After the meeting, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was quoted as saying "The Home Minister (Amit Shah) said the government is committed to granting statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. All leaders demanded full-fledged statehood."
PM Modi had also assured the Valley’s leaders that his government was committed to reviving the democratic process through Assembly elections as soon as possible and also sought their participation in the delimitation exercise.
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