SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today passed a resolution calling upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also the Leader of the House, on September 25 and was taken up and passed by the House today.
The resolution, in continuation of resolutions passed by the House on June 26, 2000 and November 6, 2024, states: “In addition to the Resolutions passed by this House on 26th June 2000 and 6th November 2024, this House calls upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and resolves that this Resolution be forwarded to Government of India.”
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the resolution was necessitated by the continued uncertainty over the restoration of Statehood despite the passage of nearly two years since the formation of the elected government.
Referring to the earlier resolution passed by the House on special status and constitutional guarantees, the Chief Minister urged members not to press amendments that, he said, could provide an excuse to the opposition (BJP) to oppose the Statehood resolution.
“Why do we need this resolution? It has been two years. We have been waiting for two years, that the central government will fulfill its promise,” he said.
The Chief Minister referred to the Supreme Court judgment concerning Jammu and Kashmir and said the Court had directed that Statehood be restored at the earliest after elections. Questioning the continued delay, he said there was a need for clarity on what was meant by the phrase “at the earliest” and “as soon as possible”.
“Tell me, Mr Speaker, in which English, ‘as soon as possible’ means two years? In which English, ‘at the earliest possible’ means two years? And even after two years, there is still no clarity,” he said.
Omar Abdullah also sought clarity from the Union Government on the reference to restoring Statehood at an “appropriate time”. He questioned whether the restoration of Statehood was being linked to the security situation and militancy in the region.
The Chief Minister said that if restoration of Statehood was to depend on the complete cessation of militancy, the decision would effectively be linked to developments beyond the control of the elected government and people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the decision on restoration of Statehood should be taken in New Delhi and not be left dependent on any other factor or external consideration.
The Chief Minister also rejected the argument that the demand for Statehood was linked to any particular political party or government. He said Statehood was an issue concerning the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not a matter of political ownership.
CM said that statehood is not for a particular party, family or for National Conference only but statehood would be for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Highlighting the administrative difficulties arising from Jammu and Kashmir’s present status as a Union Territory, the Chief Minister said several decisions that would ordinarily fall within the domain of an elected State government continue to face procedural and institutional constraints.
He cited the example of the committee constituted for examining the regularisation of daily wagers, saying that the committee had not been able to submit its report despite the passage of considerable time.
“We have formed a committee here for the regularization of the Daily wagers. The committee has not submitted its report yet. Why? Because we are UT Mr. Speaker,” he said.
The Chief Minister also raised the issue of the absence of an Advocate General for Jammu and Kashmir, saying that nearly two years after the formation of the elected government, the Union Territory continued to be without an Advocate General despite the matter having been formally taken up by the government.
“Almost two years have passed, the government has been formed, even today Jammu and Kashmir does not have Advocate General,” he said.
Omar Abdullah also referred to the issue of reservation and said the elected government had undertaken the process through a Cabinet Sub-Committee, followed by consideration and approval by the Cabinet. He said the government had subsequently responded to queries raised by the Union Government and had again forwarded its decision to the Lieutenant Governor.
He said the delay in implementation of the decision on the reservation issue illustrated the limitations under the existing administrative arrangement.
The Chief Minister further highlighted areas where, according to him, functions and institutions that had traditionally been associated with the elected government now fall outside its effective jurisdiction.
Referring to the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, he said the institution presently comes under the Lieutenant Governor.
He also referred to the universities at Awantipora and Rajouri, saying that under the previous arrangement the Chief Minister had an ex-officio role in the institutions, whereas the present arrangement does not provide the Chief Minister the same role.
“Today in both the universities there is no role of the Chief Minister. The Chancellor is LG but the Chief Minister is out of that position. Why? What is the problem?” he asked.
The Chief Minister also raised the issue of the pending approval of the Government Business Rules. He said the government had submitted the Business Rules to the Union Government nearly two years ago and that these had not yet been approved.
“We told them if there is any deficiency, we will fix it, but at least this confusion in exercising of powers should be removed,” he said.
Omar Abdullah said the government had exercised patience but questioned how long the uncertainty could continue.
“Jammu and Kashmir doesn’t need any favor,” he said, asserting that restoration of Statehood was not a concession but a right and a commitment made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“We are not accepting… we want the answer, we want justice and we have the right to rule. This is not Union Government’s favor,” he said.
Concluding his intervention, the Chief Minister urged the House to pass the resolution and called upon the Government of India to fulfill its commitment towards restoration of Statehood.
“I want this resolution to be passed,” he said. The house later passed the resolution.
