Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said his hopes for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir were fading as the issue drags on.
While interacting with reporters here, he was asked about his next step if statehood was not restored. To this, Abdullah said, “Let’s get to that point first. We will talk then.”
The chief minister refused to comment on a report which claimed that he would resign if statehood was not restored to Jammu and Kashmir within a finite timeline.
“I am not going to say anything about that. I have nothing more to say on that. The interviewer tried to ask me questions about that. If I did not answer her, what makes you think that I will answer you?” he added.
Abdullah said, “I was hopeful (about statehood restoration) from day one, but that hope is diminishing. But the longer this issue drags on, the hopes will fade. The longer you make us wait, the less hopeful we will be.”
The chief minister, however, said he was still hopeful that statehood would be restored to Jammu and Kashmir. “There still is some hopefulness there. If it happens within this hopefulness, it will be better,” he said.
In response to a question, he said that if there were no obstacles in governance in a Union Territory set up, every state would be asking for it.
“If there were no obstacles in governance in a UT set up, am I mad to seek statehood? If it were easy in a UT, then all states would have sought to be a UT.
“There are issues which come to the fore. The department is under me, and I have to answer before the House, but the officer in the department is not of my choice. There are many examples. There are several institutions which should have been under the control of the elected government, but are still not with us,” the chief minister said.
Abdullah said he wanted the issue of statehood to be discussed in the assembly, as it would have revealed where the 28 MLAs of the BJP stood on this.
“We wanted to talk about it. But it seems that the Speaker has put a bar on it. I had no problem talking about it, as one MLA had tried to bring a resolution on statehood. We wanted statehood to be discussed, but the Speaker is the custodian of the House.
“I know where I stand on the statehood issue; if a resolution for restoration of statehood comes, I know which way we will vote. But we have a party with 28 MLAs about which we have no idea what they think about statehood. They sought votes on statehood, but the Centre did not restore it,” he said.
The chief minister said the business rules of the Union Territory government were pending approval of the Centre.
“A couple of rounds of discussions have taken place between our officers and the Centre. They have raised some questions, but we told them that the business rules we have sent are under the J&K Reorganisation Act. We have not gone out of the Act; these rules should be approved,” he said.
On slapping the Public Safety Act (PSA) on AAP MLA Mehraj Malik, Abdullah said it was unjustified.
“I still maintain that whatever Mehraj Malik did it did not warrant a PSA. We have a Union minister who branded the entire Muslim community disloyal. If he got away with it, what wrong did Mehraj Malik do?” the chief minister asked.
Abdullah also lamented that the Speaker has opined that no sub-judice matter can be discussed in the assembly. “The unfortunate part is that if every sub-judice matter cannot be discussed in the assembly, people will rush to courts so that we cannot talk on any issue in the assembly,” he said.
The chief minister lashed out at the BJP MLAs for suggesting that his government was ignoring flood-affected areas of Jammu, as the majority there was of the Hindu faith.
“The BJP is under the wrong impression that we govern like they do. It is the BJP that has kept 15 percent of the population out of the central government. BJP today has not a single Muslim member in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. They do not find a single Muslim fit enough to be a minister in the Central government.
“We will decide after assessing the losses, not on the basis of region or religion. We will seek a package as per losses, and as soon as we get the money, it will be distributed,” he added.
Asked about the Budgam bypolls, Abdullah admitted that internal politics in the party had increased the complexities there.
“Any by-election is a challenge for a government. This challenge is multiplied by the complexities of the voter distribution in Budgam. It is also multiplied by some element of internal politics that is playing out. That said, I am hopeful that the people of Budgam will make the right choice,” he said.
Without naming the estranged party MP Aga Ruhullah, a three-time former MLA from Budgam, Abdullah said if Budgam is less developed, those representing the constituency are responsible for it.
“People usually say the nearer Budgam is to Srinagar, the less its development has been. We want to correct that. Budgam has been represented, but it has not been developed. The people responsible for that are those who have represented Budgam for so many years. But, it is okay if they could not do it; we will do it,” he added.
On criticism of his government by Anatnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha member Mian Altaf Ahmad, the chief minister said he respected the advice of the veteran party colleague.
“I respect Altaf a lot. He is a senior leader of the NC. After reading his statement, I talked to him over the phone. He has said from the chair I am sitting on, I should make statements after thinking them through. My father also tells me the same. So, that way, there is no difference between my father and Mian Sahib, and I see him as a father figure. He is my senior colleague; his advice is respected,” he said.
Asked about criticism by Ruhullah, Abdullah said he does not want to talk about him. “Who are you bringing on the same platform? There is a vast difference between the two (Mian Altaf and Ruhullah),” Abdullah added without masking his displeasure with the Srinagar MP.
Abdullah also responded to reports that Ruhullah had refused to join the Budgam bypoll campaign, saying that the party has enough leaders to carry on its political outreach. “No one is being forced to campaign,” he said. “We have plenty of people willing to go out and work; whoever wants to stay away can do so!”
Pertinently, hours later, NC legislator Abdul Majeed Larmi plunged into the feud, siding with the government to take potshots at the party’s critic.
Speaking to the media here, Larmi, as per KNO, took direct aim at Ruhullah’s criticism of the chief minister, suggesting that if the MP truly believed the government has failed, he should resign from his seat and face the people again.
“If he says the chief minister has done nothing, then let him resign and contest again,” Larmi said, adding that Ruhullah won on the party’s ticket, “if he thinks the leadership failed, he should have the courage to go back to the voters.”
Larmi said every representative has a right to speak for their people but argued that public criticism of the leadership was damaging to the party’s unity.
He pointed out that many decisions affecting the people’s daily life, including the installation of smart meters, were taken under the Lieutenant Governor’s administration, and not by the elected government. “The order for smart meters came from the LG government, not ours. When our government has full control, we will deal with it differently,” he claimed.
He also suggested that major policy decisions could only be made once statehood was restored. “When there is no money and no administrative power in the state’s hands, how can anyone promise miracles?” he asked.
By afternoon, it was Ruhullah’s turn to return favour – in kind!
Speaking at another media interaction, the MP Ruhullah rejected any notion of personal rivalry, saying his concern was about the direction the party had taken since coming to power.
“If the National Conference wants to make this personal, I am ready to fight,” Ruhullah said.
“However, there is no time for personal fights. The real fight is for Kashmir’s existence,” he said. “We promised people a battle for their dignity and the restoration of their rights. Where has that fight gone?”
Ruhullah accused the leadership of abandoning key poll promises made during the 2024 elections, including the restoration of Article 370 and the creation of one lakh jobs. “Only 20,000 jobs have been given. Can anyone tell me where the rest are … can anyone give me their address?” he asked.
He also raised concerns about the detained youth in Kashmir, saying thousands remain behind bars without trial. “These are the same people who voted for us. What have we done for them?”
Rejecting any focus on himself, Ruhullah said his remarks were driven by accountability, not ego. “Ruhullah is not important, what matters is the trust people have placed in us, and the promises we made,” he said. “If someone wants to make it about ego, they can, but I won’t.” (With inputs from PTI & KNO)
