Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was unfair to the people of the Union Territory that the promise of restoring statehood has still not been fulfilled. He questioned whether residents were being punished for not electing a BJP chief minister.
"If that is the case, the BJP should have stood up in Parliament or told the Supreme Court that till a BJP chief minister sits in Jammu and Kashmir, you will not get statehood… Then I would have believed that these people are telling the truth,” said Omar, who has been in power for nearly 20 months.
Expressing strong disappointment over the Central government’s delay in restoration of statehood, the Chief Minister called it a breach of promise. He said “We are well past the point of early. Early would have been soon after the elections. We are, as you said, 20 months into the government. It's no longer early. It has been needlessly delayed. And the sad fact is nobody is able to explain why. You hear every time that Jammu and Kashmir statehood will be restored at the appropriate time. But nobody tells us when the appropriate time is.”
Abdullah added that despite regular meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, there is still no explanation of what qualifies as the Centre’s “appropriate time” for restoring statehood.
"What is the yardstick to measure appropriate time? At least if we knew what the appropriate time would be, how to measure it, we would work towards it... So we are chipping away. We keep the demand alive. We keep talking about it. But I think it's deeply unfair to the people of J&K that this promise is not being kept," he further said.
The Chief Minister noted that the Central government had earlier laid out a three-step roadmap, delimitation, elections and restoration of statehood. He pointed out that delimitation and elections have already been completed and his government will soon finish two years in office.
Omar added that the timeline has moved far beyond the “early restoration” assurance given both in Parliament and before the Supreme Court. He again questioned whether political factors were influencing the delay. “Is it because the BJP was not allowed to form a government here? Is that why the people of J&K are being punished?” he asked.
Omar said “They should have stood up and said that till the BJP's chief minister does not sit in Jammu and Kashmir, you will not get statehood. Then the people of J-K at least know what to expect. Then they can decide whether they want a BJP chief minister or not. This is still deceit.”
Referring to remarks made by Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, who questioned restoring statehood under Omar’s government, the chief minister said such statements strengthened concerns that politics was influencing the decision. He also recalled that in August 2019 the Centre abrogated Article 370, revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and reorganised the former state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Omar said the National Conference remains committed to its ideological position but will not mislead people about what is realistically achievable under the present Central government.
He stated that expecting restoration of Article 370 from the current government was unrealistic. “If they are not ready to restore statehood, how can anyone expect them to bring back Article 370?” he said, adding that promising otherwise would amount to misleading the public.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s 2023 observation that statehood should be restored “at the earliest,” Omar said the phrase itself lacks clarity. “The problem is that ‘at the earliest’ is too vague,” he remarked.
When asked whether his government might approach the Supreme Court again for clarity, he responded cautiously. He said legal steps carry risks and added that all options remain open, though he did not elaborate further.
Responding to criticism, including voices within his own party, he said disagreement is natural in a democracy and everyone is entitled to opinions. However, he insisted that his government has not abandoned its core political principles.
Taking a swipe at political rivals, including the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP and other critics, he said "Now I can understand some of these critics are masters at befooling people. It's all they have ever done. In the case of some of them, their entire political career is founded on lies. I am not going to join them. I am not going to be the one to befool people that I am going to Delhi to get Article 370 for you."
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