Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concerns on Wednesday regarding the perception that statehood for the Union Territory may not be restored following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) poor performance in last year’s assembly elections.
Abdullah noted that the BJP is the sole party opposing the restoration of statehood. “At times, it appears that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will be denied statehood because the BJP lost the elections. This situation is unjust, as there was no stipulation that statehood would be restored only if the BJP emerged victorious,” Abdullah stated to media representatives outside his private office in Srinagar on September 24.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the former state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“If there is any opposition to restoring statehood, it is coming solely from the BJP,” Abdullah remarked.
He emphasized that a key challenge for his 11-month-old government is the lack of state status for Jammu and Kashmir. “The people were promised progress, and the Supreme Court was informed that it would be a three-step process: first delimitation, then elections, followed by the restoration of statehood,” the chief minister said.
In August, marking six years since the abrogation of Article 370, Abdullah reached out to the leaders of 42 political parties, including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, urging them to advocate for legislation in the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah characterized the issue as one that transcends regional concerns, affecting the fundamental Constitutional values and democratic principles of the country. He described the downgrade from a state to a Union Territory as setting a “profound and unsettling” precedent, asserting that it constitutes a “constitutional red line” that should not be crossed.
“It was unfortunate for the BJP that they did not win the elections, but the people should not bear the consequences of that outcome,” he emphasized.
“The delimitation has taken place, elections were held, and there was enthusiastic participation from the public. It was unfortunate for the BJP that they did not win the polls, but people cannot be punished for that,” Abdullah reiterated on Wednesday.
