Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he described as “delaying the restoration of statehood” to the union Territory, saying it was also “unjust” to link the Pahalgam terror attack with statehood restoration.
He also ruled out any possibility of allying with the BJP, asserting that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were still suffering from the consequences of the 2015 PDP-BJP coalition.
Speaking at a press conference in Srinagar, Omar, who recently completed one year in office, said it was wrong to hold the elected government responsible for the Pahalgam incident and to use it as an excuse to defer statehood.
“We should have hopes, but it is also true that the way the statehood is being linked with the Pahalgam attack, it is completely unjust to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. “The elected government is not responsible for what happened in Pahalgam. Those responsible for the attack were not from Jammu and Kashmir and were killed in an encounter. It is an injustice to link the Pahalgam attack with the restoration of statehood.”
Omar recalled that the union government, both in Parliament and the Supreme Court, had clearly stated that there would be three steps in the political roadmap for Jammu and Kashmir: Delimitation, elections, and then the restoration of statehood.
“On statehood, it was not said that there will be ifs, buts, or conditions. Two steps are already completed, and we expect the third to be completed soon,” he said. “Now we hope that it will be done as soon as possible, and the government here will be fully empowered so that we can complete our work.”
Calling the delay in restoring statehood “elusive,” Abdullah said the BJP should be transparent about its intentions.
“The BJP never said in its manifesto or in its statements to Parliament or the Supreme Court that statehood depends on the BJP coming to power in Jammu and Kashmir. If that is the case, then the BJP should say so clearly that so long as there is a non-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir, you will not get statehood. Then we’ll decide what we want to do.”
Reiterating that a coalition with the BJP was “out of the question,” the Chief Minister said Jammu and Kashmir had already witnessed the disastrous results of the 2015 alliance between the PDP and the BJP.
“We’ve already seen how much that destroyed J&K. An unnecessary alliance between the PDP and the BJP was born in 2015, and we are still suffering from its aftereffects. I have no intention of repeating mistakes that other people have made,” the chief minister said.
Omar, who is the National Conference vice president, also disclosed that he was actively exploring the possibility of becoming a party to the Supreme Court case on Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
“I have had conversations with very senior lawyers both in J&K as well as in Delhi about the possibility of becoming a party to this case as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
“I don’t think anybody else understands the disadvantages that we are put to by being a union Territory better than I do. I am the only person in the entire country with the experience of being both Chief Minister of a state and Chief Minister of a union Territory. Based on the legal advice I receive, there is a possibility that I will make myself a party to this case.”
Referring to his government’s efforts on constitutional guarantees, Omar said that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had passed a resolution on special status and constitutional safeguards during its first session in Srinagar a year ago.
“We sent that resolution to the central government. It was neither dismissed nor thrown away.
Sometimes, if not with this government, then with the one that comes after it, that resolution can become a basis for discussion,” he said.
Omar also reminded that the very first cabinet meeting of his government had passed a resolution on the importance of restoring statehood, which he personally handed over to the Prime Minister in New Delhi.
“That promise was fulfilled from our side,” he said, adding that it was ironic that those who had once sought votes to keep the BJP out of power in 2014 had themselves allied with the party.
“It is a little wrong for people to accuse us of betrayal,” he said. “In 2014, they asked for a vote to keep the BJP out, and immediately after the election results were announced, they joined hands with the BJP. The people have not forgotten that betrayal.”
On a controversial reservation issue, Omar urged restraint and cautioned against speculation over the reported move to alter or reduce the quota under the Reserved Backward Area (RBA) category, saying that only the Cabinet members were aware of the actual details of the proposal.
He said it would be “incorrect and premature” to comment on the contents of the report before it has gone through the required administrative process.
The Chief Minister said that the Cabinet sub-committee’s report on the matter had been accepted by the Cabinet, and that the concerned department had now been tasked with preparing a formal memo for the Cabinet’s approval.
“This will then go to the Lieutenant Governor, as all Cabinet decisions do,” Abdullah explained, underscoring that the process was still at an intermediate stage. “Before the memo has even reached the Lieutenant Governor, to start discussing the contents of that memo would be incorrect,” he added.
Omar also hinted at cabinet expansion soon after the Rajya Sabha polls and by-elections.
Omar said that NC is ready to leave the Nagrota seat for Congress if they wish to contest it, emphasising coalition cooperation in Jammu.
He said the decision on NC’s candidates for bypolls will be made within 24-48 hours, depending on the Congress’ move.
