Srinagar: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood should be restored now that the assembly elections have been held in the Union territory.
The SP chief arrived in Srinagar to attend the oath taking ceremony of the new J&K government which will be headed by National Conference’s Omar Abdullah.
“I congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir for trusting democracy and forming their own government, and for saving the Constitution. The next step after the elections is to restore full statehood of J&K. I am hopeful they will get full statehood,” Yadav told reporters here.
Yadav congratulated NC president Farooq Abdullah and CM-elect Omar Abdullah for the election win. “I am confident that he will fulfill his responsibility well and take the state towards prosperity,” Yadav said of Omar who is set to take oath on Wednesday.
“The whole country was looking up to them. Samajwadis understand their feelings. The country can be prosperous only when J&K moves along with it on the path to prosperity,” the SP leader added.
Yadav said all the border states in the country should have special provisions, facilities and decisions so that they march towards prosperity.
CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat also arrived in the city to attend Omar’s swearing in ceremony.
Congress sources said party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi would arrive on Wednesday to attend the ceremony.
