CM Omar Abdullah expresses deep disappointed over continued delay in restoring J&K’s statehood

“Lost a large part of his political capital due to delay in restoring statehood “

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, AUGUST 08 (STC): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that the anger and frustration of the people against the Centre is growing on the statehood issue. He attributes this delay to his loss of a large part of his political capital.
In an exclusive interview with a national news agency, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that he had adopted a strategy of establishing a constructive and good working relationship with the Centre in the hope of restoring the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest, but due to the non-restoration of the statehood, his own political reputation has been severely damaged.
“I have staked a huge part of my political reputation on this issue. I know that I have lost a large part of it,” he said and added that he is “paying the price for sins that are not his” and he has to bear the burden of it.
The Chief Minister also criticized the Centre for not setting a clear deadline for restoring statehood. He likened the process to a marathon race and said that every time the government approaches the finish line, the finishing line is pushed further. He demanded that the Centre set a clear benchmark and deadline for restoring statehood so that his government has a clear target.
The CM also rejected the argument that statehood cannot be restored until terrorism is completely eradicated in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the elected government has no authority over security matters in the Union Territory, so it is not right to punish the state government on this basis.
“If the restoration of statehood is made conditional on the eradication of terrorism, it will mean that the decision is not linked to the events taking place in Jammu and Kashmir or New Delhi but in Islamabad,” he said.
He also termed a Union Territory with an Assembly as the worst form of government and said that if a Union Territory is to be created, it should be kept without an Assembly. According to him, important institutions, including the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation and the Sher Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), are still under the control of the Lieutenant Governor. He said that his cabinet does not have full authority even in important matters like the selection of its administrative secretaries and the appointment of the Advocate General.
Defending his current policy on the issue of Article 370, Omar Abdullah said that statehood is a basic condition for this discussion. He said that Article 370 was basically about the division of powers between the Centre and the state and how can the discussion of the state list and division of powers proceed when the state itself does not exist.
The Chief Minister said that the Prime Minister himself had termed this promise as Modi’s promise, hence its importance is much greater than an ordinary political promise. He said that the Prime Minister had also associated his personal reputation with the promise to restore statehood, hence questions are being raised about the Centre’s accountability due to continuous delays.

(Straight Talk Communications)