Srinagar: National Conference vice-president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah should set a ‘timeline’ for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Coming down heavily on the BJP-led NDA at the Centre over its decision to revoke special constitutional privileges to the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcation of the region into two Union Territories (UTs), the NC leader said his party wanted statehood restored before the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Upholding the Centre’s revocation of Article 370 from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, the Supreme Court, last year, directed the Election Commission (EC) to hold Assembly polls in the state by September, this year.
“They (Centre) should not have taken it (Article 370) in the first place. We wanted statehood restored before the (Lok Sabha) elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah should set a timeline within which to ensure the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The Supreme Court has already set September 30 (2024) as the deadline for the restoration of statehood. With respect to the deadline set by the country’s highest court, he should state clearly in how many days statehood would be restored,” ANI quoted Omar Abdullah as saying.
In 2019, the Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, reconstituting the erstwhile state into the Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The reorganisation took effect on October 31, 2019.
With the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 by the Parliament, Article 370 ceased to exist.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his last campaign-related visit to the UT, assured that the Centre was committed to restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir while adding that the Assembly elections would be held soon.
Meanwhile, the NC leader voiced confidence in his party winning the Lok Sabha elections in the UT by a ‘huge margin’.
Omar, who filed his nomination from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday, is pitted against Sajad Gani Lone of the People’s Conference and PDP’s Mohammad Fayaz Mir.
The NC holds the seat currently, with Mohammed Akbar Lone as its sitting MP.
Jammu and Kashmir has five Lok Sabha seats – Udhampur, Jammu, Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar and Baramulla. Earlier, the region comprised six Lok Sabha seats, including Ladakh. However, following the abrogation of Article 370, and Ladakh becoming a separate Union territory, this Lok Sabha constituency ceased to be part of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP won three seats while the National Conference won the remaining three.
