Omar Abdullah's Cabinet votes to seek statehood for Jammu and Kashmir in first meeting
PTC News Desk: In a significant move during its inaugural cabinet meeting, the government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah passed a resolution calling on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-led Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. This resolution is rooted in the demands articulated by the National Conference (NC), which recently secured 42 seats in the assembly elections.
Omar Abdullah is expected to travel to New Delhi to personally deliver the resolution draft to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This action signifies the government's commitment to advocating for the restoration of statehood, a status that was revoked in August 2019 when Jammu and Kashmir was restructured into a Union Territory.
However, the decision to pass the statehood resolution through the cabinet has drawn criticism. Sajad Lone, the leader of the People's Conference, challenged the legitimacy of the cabinet's approach, arguing that the assembly is the proper institution for addressing significant issues like statehood and the revocation of Article 370, which previously granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lone expressed his concerns, stating, “The cabinet is a majoritarian institution of governance and does not reflect all shades and opinions as per the will of the people of J&K.”
Lone further questioned the NC’s rationale, recalling that previous resolutions, including one on autonomy, were passed in the assembly rather than through a cabinet decision. He expressed disappointment that the current resolution was not reserved for assembly discussion, suggesting that it trivializes a matter of such importance.
Echoing these sentiments, Waheed Para, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA, criticized Abdullah's resolution, labeling it as merely a “rectification” of the August 5, 2019, decision without addressing the need for Article 370. Para noted, “No resolution on Article 370 and scaling down the demand to mere statehood is a huge setback, especially after seeking votes on the promise of restoring Article 370,” indicating that the resolution fails to fulfill the broader aspirations of the people.
In the meantime, a plea for the time-bound restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir was raised in the Supreme Court, which has agreed to expedite the hearing. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, requested urgent attention from a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.
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Earlier, on December 11, 2023, the Supreme Court had upheld the revocation of Article 370, affirming the Centre's decision. The court had also mandated that assembly elections be conducted by September 2024, stressing the importance of restoring Jammu and Kashmir's status “at the earliest.”
Following the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcement regarding the assembly elections, Omar Abdullah stated that a key priority for the newly elected assembly would be to pass a resolution opposing the Centre's decision to revoke statehood and special status. The elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, held in three phases from September 18 to October 1, led to the formation of a coalition government by the National Conference and Congress.
Before taking office, Abdullah articulated his intention to serve as the voice of the people and expressed optimism that Jammu and Kashmir would not remain a Union Territory indefinitely, anticipating a return to full statehood in the near future.
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- With inputs from agencies
