Wrote to parties to push for bill on statehood restoration in Parl: Omar
J&K CM had written to 40 MPs, including the Congress president Malikarjun Kharge, and other prominent Lok Sabha members urging them to raise the issue of J&K’s statehood in the Parliament
As demand for restoration of statehood has gained momentum, chief minister Omar Abdullah said he has written to several parties with a sizeable presence in Parliament, seeking their support for the introduction of a Bill for the restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir in the ongoing Monsoon session.
J&K CM had written to 40 MPs, including the Congress president Malikarjun Kharge, and other prominent Lok Sabha members urging them to raise the issue of J&K’s statehood in the Parliament.
“I have written a letter to all those parties who have a good number of MPs in Parliament and requested them to help on the promise made to J&K on statehood and raise the issue in Parliament so that a Bill is brought in this session itself and J&K gets its statehood back,” Omar told reporters in Srinagar.
“The act of reducing J&K from a state to a Union territory in 2019 and the prolonged delay in restoring its status as a full state... has profound implications for the future of Indian polity,” the three-page letter stated.
The CM said the reorganisation of J&K into a UT in August 2019 was presented as a “temporary and transitional measure” and cited repeated public assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On the Supreme Court likely to hear a plea for the restoration of statehood on August 8, Omar said the restoration should come through the court if the government does not do it.
“It is a good thing and I hope the Supreme Court keeps in mind is that when they gave a judgement on the August 5 case (in December 2023), they had said that the statehood should be restored as soon as possible. Now, many years have passed but we have not got it yet,” he said.
The CM also highlighted the “remarkable and enthusiastic participation” of the people of J&K in last year’s assembly elections and said that they turned up in record numbers and demonstrated an unshaken faith in our constitutional processes and democratic institutions.
In a “respectful acknowledgement” of this, his government’s first act was to pass a unanimous resolution calling for the immediate restoration of statehood.
He said had the SC not set a deadline for conducting assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, “perhaps I would not have been talking to you as the chief minister today”. “We got elections last year as SC had set a timeframe. Otherwise they (centre) would have never held elections and I wouldn’t have been a CM. Let’s hope, government gives a time for statehood restoration. It has been promised to people of J&K in parliament, meetings and rallies.”
Will take issue in INDI alliance meeting: Farooq Abdullah
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that he will raise the issue of statehood of J&K in meeting of INDI alliance. “Congress president has called a meeting of alliance parties and will raise the issue of J&K’s statehood. They have been supporting us on this,” Farooq told on sidelines of function.
PDP, NC on same page on statehood demand
The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) welcomes the recent appeal by chief minister for a collective push toward restoring statehood in J&K.
However, JKPDP expresses concern over the selective focus on statehood, while overlooking the far more critical demand for restoring Article 370 and Article 35A, which form the constitutional foundation of Jammu and Kashmir’s identity, rights, and autonomy.
JKPDP chief spokesperson Mehboob Beg said that while the party wholeheartedly supports the call for statehood and stands ready to back any meaningful initiative that fulfils promises made to the people in Parliament, public forums, and before the Supreme Court, it is disheartening to see that the NC, under CM Omar Abdullah’s leadership, has not demonstrated equal urgency or clarity on the restoration of J&K’s special status.
“The abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in August 2019 was a historic betrayal that struck at the heart of our political and cultural identity. Ignoring this reality while demanding statehood alone dilutes the larger struggle for justice and dignity,” Beg said.
“Statehood without special status is akin to treating the symptoms while ignoring the root cause,” Beg asserted.
The JKPDP reiterated its position that statehood, while important, cannot be the ultimate goal. The restoration of Articles 370 and 35A must remain central to any political roadmap for Jammu and Kashmir.
