Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday accused the BJP of indulging in “blackmail politics” over the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
When asked about recent comments by the Leader of Opposition, Omar took a sharp jibe at the BJP, saying there was “no Eknath Shinde in the National Conference” and asserting that all party legislators stood united. He criticised LoP Sunil Sharma for a “lack of tolerance” and said the BJP appeared impatient to occupy the ministers’ chairs in Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding to a query on delimitation, the Chief Minister alleged that the exercise in J&K was carried out “only to benefit the BJP and its friends”. “We suffered their delimitation and we know about delimitation. It was done only to benefit the BJP and the BJP's friends,” he said.
Omar clarified that the cabinet expansion had not been stalled due to political instability but because Jammu and Kashmir was yet to regain statehood.
“Cabinet expansion has stopped because we have not been given the status of a state. Cabinet expansion has not stopped because of fear,” he said. He further claimed that the LoP’s statement reflected the BJP’s intention that “statehood will not be restored until they come to power in Jammu and Kashmir”.
“We are not going to hinder the process. The BJP or anyone else should be allowed to form a government if they prove a majority in the Assembly,” Omar said, adding that if a party proves its majority it should stay, and if they don’t, it must resign immediately.
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