A day after the National Conference- Congress hit a precious victory and won an absolute majority in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, securing 48 out of 90 seats, Omar Abdullah has raised the issue of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the restoration of statehood is the only thing that remains.
Stating the difference between the nation’s capital and Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said, “There is a difference between Delhi and us. Delhi was never a full state and nobody ever promised to make it a state. J&K was a state before 2019, and restoration of statehood has been promised to us”
Buoyed by the victory, the NC leader said that the first cabinet decision would be to pass a resolution for statehood and will present it to the Prime Minister.
“The people of J&K have gone unheard since 2018”
Speaking to the media after his resounding victory, Abdullah said, “I am humbled by the verdict of the people, humbled by the mandate that the people have given. I am also acutely aware of the responsibility that this mandate places upon us. The people of J&K have voted, they made their voices heard, they want to be a part of the process of governance, they want to feel a part of the decision-making process and it is our responsibility to carry them along with us.”
“The people of J&K have gone unheard since 2018. Now the time has come for us to work for the benefit of the people of J&K. I am also acutely aware of the fact that there is a sharp divide between Kashmir and Jammu. Therefore, the incoming government will have a major responsibility of giving a sense of ownership to the people of Jammu. The government that comes in in the next few days will not be that of the NC, of the alliance, of those that voted for us. It will be a government for every individual of J&K regardless of who they voted for or whether they voted at all. Special emphasis will be placed on giving a sense of ownership and a voice within the government to those areas from where MLAs in this coalition will be less in number,” he added.
The Next CM of Jammu and Kashmir
Omar Abdullah is set to be the next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking of the victory, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and NC supremo Farooq Abdullah said that the new Government will address the problems of the people. “The people have given their mandate; they have shown they reject the decision taken on August 5. Omar Abdullah will be the Chief Minister,” Farooq Abdullah said while speaking to a reporter earlier
Omar Abdullah said, “First and foremost, wait for the Legislative Party Meeting which will take place tomorrow. Subsequent to the meeting, there will be the alliance meeting, it will determine the leader of the alliance. The leader of the alliance will then, I assume, take letters of support, go to Raj Bhavan, stake the claim and request the LG to fix a date for the swearing-in. But I would like that to happen as soon as possible because we have been without an elected government since 2018. Time has come that we get back to work.”
On talking about the coordination with the central government after forming the government, Abdullah said, “Let the government be formed. Ask this to the CM who will get elected. My suggestion would be that it is essential to coordinate with New Delhi. Our issues and difficulties won’t be resolved by fighting with Delhi (the Centre).”
“I think proper relations with the Centre will be good for J&K and the people of J&K. People of J&K have not voted for fights; they voted because they want jobs, progress, statehood, relief in power supply, and resolution of other issues,” he added.
Responding to the wishes of Prime Minister Modi on the victory, Abdullah said, “Thank you very much for your message of congratulations PM Narendra Modi sahib. We look forward to a constructive relationship in the true spirit of federalism so that the people of J&K may benefit from continued development and good governance.”
Earlier this week on Tuesday, Abdullah said that the government that will be formed in Jammu and Kashmir will have a big responsibility of inculcating a “sense of belonging” to the people of the valley.
“The government which is formed in the coming days has a very big responsibility of ensuring that the people of Jammu do not feel that this is not their government. Whoever becomes the CM of J&K will have to ensure that people of Jammu feel a sense of belonging.” said Abdullah.
