Indian-American lawmaker introduces Congressional resolution on Kashmir
Washington: Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has introduced a Congressional resolution urging India to end the restrictions on communications in Jammu and Kashmir as swiftly as possible and preserve religious freedom for all residents.
The resolution, introduced in the House of Representatives after several weeks of efforts by Jayapal on Friday, has only one co-sponsor - Republican Congressman Steve Watkins from Kansas. It's a simple resolution, which cannot be voted in the other chamber, Senate, and does not has the force of law.
Ahead of the introduction of the resolution, Indian-Americans from across the US urged her in various settings against it. Her office is believed to have received more than 25,000 emails from Indian-Americans in addition to in-person meetings by several representations of Indian-Americans.
Indian-Americans held peaceful demonstrations outside her office against her move to table the resolution on Kashmir.
The resolution urges India to lift the remaining restrictions on communication and to restore internet access across all of Jammu and Kashmir as swiftly as possible.
India has defended imposition of restrictions in the Kashmir Valley on the grounds that they were put to prevent Pakistan from creating more mischief through proxies and terrorists following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.
While the resolution recognises the dire security challenges faced by India in Jammu and Kashmir and the continuing threat of state-supported cross-border terrorism, the resolution urges India to refrain from the use of threats and excessive force against detained people and peaceful protesters.
It requests India to "swiftly release arbitrarily detained people" and "refrain from conditioning" the release of detained people on their willingness to sign bonds prohibiting any political activities and speeches.
The resolution claims that there is photographic evidence indicating that detained people have been required to sign surety bonds forbidding them from making statements or participating in political activities as a condition of their release.
India has denied these allegations. India maintains that the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status was its sovereign decision and it cannot accept any interference in its internal affairs.
The Indian government has said that the abrogation of Article 370 was in the interests of the residents of Jammu and Kashmir. It maintains the move will help them get rights that have been denied to them for many decades.
Among other things, the resolution urges India to allow international human rights observers and journalists to access Jammu and Kashmir and operate freely throughout India, without threats.
Noting that India's Constitution mandates a secular state that upholds the rights of all citizens to the freedoms of religion, expression, and speech and to equal treatment before the law, the resolution also condemns all religiously motivated violence, including against religious minorities.
The resolution introduced by Jayapal, the first-ever Indian-American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives, is the second such resolution in the US Congress on Kashmir.
The first one introduced by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on November 21 failed to get even a single co-sponsor. Her resolution was announced on Twitter by a Pakistani American and a senior official of Council on American Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights, and advocacy group.
Congressional observers point that Tlaib, Jayapal along with Ilhan Omar, are the three lawmakers to be taking the lead on anti-India stand inside the House of Representatives.
Despite intense efforts post-August 5, this group has managed to get just three lawmakers, including one outside their circle, for two resolutions on Kashmir, is reflective that their stand on Kashmir has gained little traction inside the Congress.
Ravi Batra, an eminent Indian American attorney from New York, on Saturday accused Jayapal of being unprincipled, anti-Hindu, pro-terror and shamelessly pandering for political advantage.
"I reject with extreme prejudice - unprincipled self-promoting liberal lunatics who have never governed - folks like Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar, who merely pander for political advantage shamelessly," Batra said in a statement.
Batra had testified before House Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on Asia, the Pacific and Non-Proliferation on October 22, which essentially ended up being in an anti-India tirade by a small group of lawmakers.
Testifying before the Congressional sub-committee at the invitation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Eliott Engel, Batra had said terror needs to be eradicated to protect human rights.
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Assam polls: Cong announces first list of 42 candidates, Gaurav to contest from Jorhat
Guwahati (PTI): The opposition Congress on Tuesday took the lead in announcing its first list of 42 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Assam, with it comprising both sitting MLAs and former ministers, and also new faces, including sons of three prominent politicians.
The party's chief ministerial candidate and state president Gaurav Gogoi will contest from the prestigious Jorhat assembly constituency, currently held by BJP's Hitendra Nath Goswami.
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha will make his first electoral foray for the assembly.
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Gogoi is currently the party MP from the Jorhat parliamentary constituency and previously represented Kaliabor twice before it was reconstituted during the delimitation exercise in the state.
The leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Debabrata Saikia, will contest from the family stronghold of Nazira, which he has represented since 2016. His father, former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, and his mother, Hemoprava Saikia, previously represented the constituency.
Three sitting MLAs -- Nandita Das from Hajo-Sualkuchi, Diganta Barman from Barkhetry and Nurul Huda from Rupohihat -- have also been included in the list.
Das, a two-time MLA, had earlier contested from Boko but following the delimitation exercise in the state, she has been shifted to Hajo-Sualkuchi while Barman and Huda will contest from the same seats they represented in the current assembly.
Former minister and state Congress president Ripun Bora will contest from Barchalla while another former minister, Ajit Singh, will contest from Udharbond constituency in Barak Valley.
Former minister and Deputy Speaker Pranati Phukan, a four-time MLA till 2016, will contest from Naharkatia in Upper Assam.
Tanzil Hussain, son of Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain, will contest from Samaguri where he had lost to BJP's Diplu Ranjan Sarmah in the 2024 by-elections which was necessitated following the election of the senior Hussain to Lok Sabha.
Prateek Bordoloi, son of Nagaon MP Prodyut Bordoloi, will contest the Margherita seat which was represented by his father thrice since 2001.
Former five-time MP and prominent tea tribe leader Paban Singh Ghatowar's son Pranjal Ghatowar will contest from the Chabua-Lahowal seat.
Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur, who had unsuccessfully contested the last parliamentary polls from Gauhati, has been given the ticket for the prestigious Dispur constituency.
Former BJP MLA Ashok Sarma, who was denied ticket by the ruling party in 2021 and went on to join the Congress in 2024, will contest from his previous Nalbari seat.
Another former BJP MLA and Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar, who joined the Congress in 2024, will contest from Sonai constituency in Barak Valley.
Former AGP MLA Satyabrat Kalita, who joined the Congress in September 2025, will contest from Kamalpur seat.
Other prominent faces in the list include former Congress MLAs Durga Bhumij from Doomdooma, Binanda Kumar Saikia from Sipahjhar and Bubul Das from Jagiroad (SC) constituency.
The Congress is a leading part of the unified opposition alliance, 'Asom Sonmilito Morcha', formed to challenge the ruling BJP, and has entered into seat-sharing arrangements with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and the Left, but is yet to finalise it with Raijor Dal.
Presently, the ruling BJP's strength in the 126-member assembly is 64, while its allies AGP has nine MLAs, UPPL has seven and BPF has three members.
In the opposition camp, the Congress has 26 MLAs, AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) has one MLA. There is an Independent legislator as well.
