Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday moved a resolution in the legislative assembly seeking urgent restoration of full statehood to the union territory.
However, the resolution faced a backlash from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, who jumped into the well of the House to protest against the National Conference (NC) government and began sloganeering. This is the second time that the NC government has moved a resolution in the House seeking restoration of full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. This stripped the region of its statehood, reorganising it into two UTs: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. First was delimitation, then elections and then statehood. The process of delimitation and statehood was not in our favour. Elections took place, people participated in the elections of their own free will, even voters came out from areas where we had no hope. People also voted with the hope that the third step would be completed after the elections. We kept waiting. Publicly, privately, in every meeting, in every forum, we reminded the GoI that you have made a promise to the people of J&K, but that promise is not being fulfilled. Omar gave examples of how the lack of statehood is hindering development and other projects. And he made a very important point about the project for the people of J&K that is being delayed unnecessarily. In the last government, I was the chairman of the Power Development Corporation. I used to sit on its board and take decisions. We have a premier health institution but we do not get the files. Sharma also asked Congress to clear its stand. It cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.
The protest began when the CM started speaking on the immediate restoration of statehood, referencing the resolution passed in the House in 2000. Earlier, on November 6, 2024, a resolution was passed for the same. On August 5, 2019, the central government abrogated Article 370 and passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act. “Congress must clear its stand, does it stand with this 370 and autonomy resolution or with the government?
Omar, while addressing the assembly, said, “A promise was made to the people of J&K that a three-step process would be implemented in Parliament, the Supreme Court and various public forums. “Even the Prime Minister said ‘Yeh Modi Ka Vaada hai’ (This is Modi’s promise). I spoke to him (PM) about statehood and told him that this is the promise of the GoI. We do not get its files,” the CM said. “Now, on the one hand, it is said that in the UT, it is for the elected government to decide things, then why not the Power Development Corporation? Its position must be made absolutely clear,” he said.
There are many other examples like this, which I will present at the end of this discussion before the House. Omar said that today, through this House, we want to remind the Centre that its promises should be fulfilled. “On Thursday, in zero hour, MLA Bandipora, Nizamuddin Bhat raised the Hydroelectric Project. Today, as CM as power minister, I do not have the Power Development Corporation in my hands. Today, health minister Sakina Itoo spoke about how the elected government does not get the files of the schemes. But today, we have brought this resolution and its verdict,” Omar said.
