SRINAGAR, Jan 2: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir’s Union Territory status is a temporary phase and that the Central Government fulfils its promise of restoring its statehood.
“For us, the biggest challenge is to get our statehood back. We the people are now expecting that the promises made to us will be fulfilled. The biggest promise is the restoration of the statehood.
“The Supreme Court in its judgement had also stated that the statehood should be restored as soon as possible. One year has passed since and we think one year should be enough,” Abdullah said in a freewheeling interaction with mediapersons at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here.
He took questions on various issues confronting his two-month-old government, including the functioning of an elected Government that has to share powers with the Centre’s appointee — the Lieutenant Governor.
“It has been a little over two months since we came to power. It took us time to understand how the UT Government works. We have been associated with the government earlier, but there is a vast difference between that form and the present form,” Abdullah said.
The Centre in August 5, 2019, revoked Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganised the state into two UTs. While J-K has a legislative assembly with limited powers, Ladakh is without a legislature.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the Centre’s decisions to revoke special status and create the two UTs but told the Union Government to restore the statehood of J-K as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minster Amit Shah have on numerous occasions, including in Parliament, said that the Statehood of J-K would be restored at an appropriate time.
Abdullah, speaking to the reporters, said the start of the new Government has been “decent” and that they “did not find much difficulty” in it.
“We are bound by our election promises. We have started the process of implementing some of the promises and for other promises, we need change in the system. I hope J-K being a UT is a temporary phase,” Abdullah said.
He said it is important to understand that his party’s manifesto was for a five-year term, not five weeks or five months.
“Some issues were important to us and we fulfilled those including the resolution on the statehood and the resolution on the special status,” he said.
Brushing aside reports that there was pressure on his National Conference party to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Abdullah said there was no truth in the rumours that the Central leaders of the BJP were trying to coerce him.
“There is no pressure from the prime minister, home minister or the Raj Bhawan on us to change our ideology. I have been told by the PM and the home minister that your (NC) government will not be destabilised, and that we will give you the same cooperation as was given to the LG.
“They have stated they will respect the mandate of the people. Those spreading rumours that I will now join NDA and that I have changed my ideology, I cannot help that. I am here to work and I will work,” he said.
Abdullah said the sentiments of the people should be respected and their aspirations fulfilled.
When asked why the J-K government did not approach the courts and went to the Centre with the resolution on the restoration of statehood, Abdullah said going to the courts would mean getting into a confrontation.
“Simply going to court will be a fight. A fight should never be the first option, it should be the last option. If the SC had not spoken about the restoration of the statehood, if the prime minister and home minister had not spoken about it, then we could have gone to courts. They have made promises and we have to give them a chance first,” he added.
He added that no Chief Minister of a Union territory is as empowered as the chief minister of a state. “That is a fact. There is no point in living in denial. If I were an empowered CM, why would I ask for restoration of statehood.” (Agencies)
