J-K CM Omar Abdullah faces tough questions on governance in first tenure

A year after taking charge as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah’s National Conference government stands at a crossroads–facing public expectations on one hand and mounting criticism from opposition parties on the other.

As Omar completes 12 months in office as CM on Thursday, his government finds itself under growing scrutiny, accused of falling short on the sweeping promises that helped the National Conference (NC) return to power in the Union territory.

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fter splitting and degradation of the historic state of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union territory in 2019, Omar’s is the first ‘toothless’ elected government here. The powers of the Lt. Governor and the duly elected government remain undefined causing confusion in the administration with the result that the common people are suffering.

Omar’s tenure had begun with high hopes and a set of 12 key guarantees. These included one lakh new jobs, 12 free LPG cylinders annually for poor households, 200 units of free electricity, free education up to graduation, and major improvements in the road network. The party also pledged to work toward restoring statehood and releasing Kashmiri prisoners.

A year later, only a few initiatives–notably free bus travel for women in Srinagar and Jammu– have been partially implemented.

Moreover, the power tussle between the LG and the elected government has virtually plunged J&K into a situation of lack of accountability among the officialdom.

CM Omar rues that he is not in a position to deliver as he does not have any control over the officers who report to the LG. The business rules defining the powers of the elected government were framed by Omar’s government and forwarded to the LG several months ago but the file has been put in cold storage, he claims.

Omar, who took oath on 16 October last year, has repeatedly cited confusion over governance rules, maintaining that the powers of the Raj Bhavan and the elected government remain blurry. However, the Lieutenant Governor insists that “the governance framework is absolutely clear” and that Omar’s administration holds full authority over all departments except security.

Opposition leaders accuse Omar of “playing the victim card”–blaming administrative confusion and unclear jurisdiction between the Chief Minister’s Office and the Raj Bhavan–to deflect accountability.

They have been quick to point out what they describe as a widening gap between vision and execution, arguing that the key commitments made by the National Conference in its manifesto titled “Dignity, Identity and Development” are not yet met.

The Pahalgam attack on 22 April in which 26 tourists were gunned down by terrorists has badly hit the tourism sector that is the backbone of J&K’s economy. Thereafter, several lives were lost and houses destroyed particularly in the Poonch and Rajouri districts in Pakistani shelling during the Operation Sindoor.

A series of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides claimed about 200 lives and the road infrastructure continues to remain paralysed.

Omar is being accused of mollifying the BJP and having failed to keep intact the parties supporting his government. The lone AAP MLA Mehraj Malik withdrew support to the NC government. Now the support of the 6 Congress MLAs is also uncertain to Omar after he ‘denied’ them a safe seat for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Deputy CM Surinder Chaudhary says that asking Omar to present a report card within one year is unfair to him.

Health and Education Minister Sakina Ittoo said in just one year, we’ve brought accountability, strengthened education, improved healthcare, and delivered where others couldn’t. The journey has begun and much more will be achieved.