JK CM thanks Cong leaders for supporting his statehood claims

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday welcomed the letter written by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking to reporters here, Omar said, “This is a welcome move. I thank Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi for raising this issue. We are not demanding anything that has not been promised to us before. We have been told many times that we will be granted statehood at the right time.”

Advertisement

The chief minister was reacting to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi jointly writing a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the BJP-led Centre to bring a legislation in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

He further added, “Now, Jammu and Kashmir should be given statehood soon. It is time for the central government to honour its repeated commitments made in Parliament, in public forums, and even before the Supreme Court.”

Omar said the Supreme Court’s directive to the Centre to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood “as soon as possible” came long ago.

It is worth mentioning that mainstream political parties are supporting the demand for the restoration of the statehood of J&K.

Reports are circulating that the centre might grant Delhi-type statehood instead of restoring full statehood that J&K enjoyed before abrogation of Article 370 and downgrading of the state to the level of a Union Territory in August 2019.