On September 4th, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, began the election campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. In his inaugural speech, he sharply criticized the Central government, alleging that it had deprived the Union Territory's residents of their rights and was seizing their resources. His remarks were met with disapproval from some quarters, with critics accusing him of attempting to sow division among the people once more. 

"This is the language of an insurrectionist, not a mainstream politician or Leader of Opposition," said Kanchan Gupta, senior advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. "He knows he is brazenly lying when he says Congress gave India its Constitution. Like Goebbels he has decided to repeat this lie. He is old enough to know all this." 

Earlier that day, while speaking at a rally in Ramban, Gandhi stated: "Not only has your state been taken from you, but so have your rights and your wealth—everything is being stripped away. In 1947, we ousted the king and established a democratic government. We provided the country with a Constitution. Today, in Jammu and Kashmir, there is a new kind of king—the LG. Your resources are being seized and handed over to outsiders, whether it's contracts or other assets—everything is being given to non-locals." 

The Congress MP expressed strong confidence that the alliance government would come to power in Jammu and Kashmir. He promised to address all government vacancies and raise the upper age limit for applicants to 40 years. "We will regularise daily wage workers, make their positions permanent, and increase their salaries. Our aim is to govern Jammu and Kashmir inclusively, ensuring that everyone is respected and brought together," he said. 

At another rally in Anantnag, Gandhi once again criticised the Central government, stating that, for the first time in independent India, a state had been downgraded to a Union Territory. "When we convert a Union Territory into a state or divide a state, we enhance democracy and expand rights. But when we turn a state into a Union Territory, rights are stripped away," he remarked. 

Gandhi asserted, "This injustice has been inflicted upon you and Jammu and Kashmir. Restoring the state's status is not just the responsibility of the Congress party, the National Conference, or the INDIA Alliance, but of every citizen of India. I want to make it clear that despite what the BJP and RSS might claim, we are committed to restoring statehood to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We had hoped for statehood to be reinstated before the elections, but the BJP preferred to hold the elections first. We accept that, but statehood will be granted." 

The Congress is running in the elections in alliance with the National Conference (NC). Jammu and Kashmir has 90 assembly constituencies, including 7 reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs). The elections will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1, with the vote counting scheduled for October 8. 

At another rally, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lost his confidence following the recent Lok Sabha elections and predicted that Modi's government would soon be ousted. Speaking at a poll rally in Sangaldan, part of Jammu and Kashmir's Banihal Assembly constituency, Gandhi accused the Central government of being controlled by Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and their corporate allies. 

He criticised Modi's handling of unemployment, claiming that the implementation of GST and demonetisation had negatively impacted small businesses. Gandhi argued that these policies were designed to benefit two billionaires rather than addressing the needs of the broader population. 

"I was told not to name Modi's corporate friends Adani and Ambani so I am using aliases like A1 and A2 for them. This government is like 'we two, our two' -- Modi and Shah, and Ambani and Adani -- these four are actually running the government," Gandhi said. The Congress leader alleged that Jammu and Kashmir's statehood was "snatched" following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution "to benefit the two billionaires". 

"We have finished Modi psychologically. I sit in front of him in Parliament and I know his confidence is gone... Now a little time has left, we will remove Modi and BJP from government," the senior Congress leader said. Continuing his tirade against the prime minister, he said, "First, Modi said there would be no caste-based census but we insisted on it. The RSS is now saying it is right. We opposed the lateral entry system and put pressure on the government. Now he is frightened." 

"You have seen that in earlier elections Modi used to come with a broad chest and make long speeches. But now he is holding the book of constitution on his head while entering Parliament." 

Launching a broadside on PM Modi, Gandhi said he has claimed to have a direct connection with God and "is on record having said that his birth is non-biological". 

"This (Lok Sabha) election, Modi got a direct message from God. You may feel that you are talking directly to God but He is only listening to the masses and working accordingly," the Congress leader said. 

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