SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday launched a sharp counterattack on the BJP during the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly debate on restoration of statehood, questioning why the Union Territory must wait for violence to end before its statehood is restored.
Replying to the debate on the statehood resolution, Abdullah said he had anticipated opposition from BJP members and urged legislators from the ruling benches not to press amendments that could provide the BJP with grounds to oppose the resolution.
“I knew that my friends in the opposition would not be happy with my resolution and they will try to disrupt the House,” Abdullah said, adding that the resolution had been prepared with “utmost care.”
He also appealed to members of the ruling side not to insist on amendments. “Please don’t press for your amendments because that gives a reason to BJP to oppose the resolution,” he said.
The debate turned confrontational as Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma and other BJP members raised slogans, while Abdullah questioned the argument that statehood could be restored only after the guns fell silent.
“If you are waiting for guns to go silent, does it mean you are waiting for Pakistan to keep guns silent and that will pave the way for restoration of statehood?” Abdullah asked. “So can’t our own government, our own Prime Minister give us the statehood?” he said. The remarks were reported during Monday’s Assembly proceedings.
Abdullah also highlighted what he described as the limitations of the elected government under the Union Territory arrangement. Referring to the appointment of the Advocate General, he questioned why Jammu and Kashmir had remained without one for an extended period.
He further cited the Academy of Art, Culture and Languages as an example of institutions where, according to him, the elected government has limited authority because of the present administrative structure.
“What does the Cultural Academy have to do with law and order?” Abdullah asked while arguing for a greater role for the elected government.
On universities, Abdullah referred to the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), saying that the institutional arrangement had changed since his earlier tenure as Chief Minister and that he no longer had the same role in its decision-making.
The Chief Minister also questioned BJP members protesting the resolution, saying he was surprised that some legislators were raising slogans against restoration of statehood. He suggested that some BJP members supported statehood but were not expressing that position openly.
The statehood resolution, moved by Abdullah on September 25, calls for the “immediate and urgent restoration” of full statehood and refers to resolutions passed by the Assembly in 2000 and 2024. Those references have been a central point of disagreement between the BJP and the ruling benches during the ongoing session.
