SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today brought a resolution before Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seeking the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. However, the resolution was fiercely opposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) creating chaotic scenes forcing the speaker to adjourn the House.As the resolution contains a reference to the autonomy resolution passed by J&K Assembly in June 2000, when Jammu and Kashmir was a state, the BJP accused the ruling party of being anti-national and called the resolution an autonomy resolution.Omar’s resolution reads: “In addition to the resolutions passed by this House on 26 June 2000 and 6 November 2024, the House calls upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and resolves that this resolution be forwarded to the Government of India.”For nearly two years, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has repeatedly called for the restoration of statehood and taken up the issue with the Centre. Soon after taking office, his Cabinet passed a resolution seeking restoration of statehood.NC legislators said the Centre’s lack of movement on statehood forced the party to bring the resolution in the Assembly. Omar echoed this, saying it seems the cabinet was not seen as the sole voice of the people, while the legislature represented the broader political spectrum of Jammu and Kashmir including parties outside the government. “Statehood is not about the government or my family, it is about Jammu and Kashmir. That is why we brought it to the House, so that a united voice can go to the Centre for restoration of statehood,” Omar said.After Omar moved the resolution, the BJP legislators shouted slogans, tore copies of the resolution. Incidentally Congress legislators supported the resolution even moved towards the well to confront BJP legislators. The BJP argues that the resolution shouldn’t have mentioned autonomy resolution in the statehood resolution. Angered by the BJP legislators’ slogans, some of the NC legislators displayed papers reading “we want autonomy of J&K be restored.” Others called for restoration of Article 370.Earlier addressing the House after moving the resolution, the CM said the House should discuss and pass the resolution as lack of statehood to J&K is causing immense suffering to people of J&K.“We were promised that the restoration of statehood would follow delimitation and elections. Delimitation of constituencies was carried out. Elections were held and a large number of people took part in them (in 2024). People voted without any coercion. But the third step of the promise, the restoration of statehood was not fulfilled,” Omar said, referring to assurances given by the centre in Parliament and before the Supreme Court.The CM said statehood was a promise made by the government of India and reaffirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a function where he was present along with the leader of Opposition in J&K Sunil Sharma. He said the Prime Minister has stated that the restoration of statehood is Modi’s promise.Omar said several important institutions and projects remained beyond the effective control of the elected government, citing the Power Development Corporation and AIIMS-related matters as examples.“As chief minister and power minister, I do not receive the files of the J&K State Power Development Corporation. If the elected government is responsible for everything other than security, law and order, and services matters, then why are institutions like the State Power Development Corporation or health institutions like SKIMS outside its control,”J&K CM added.Explaining the adding previous resolution to the current resolution, he said the House continued to stand by all resolutions passed earlier by the Assembly. He said he has mentioned earlier resolutions in the current resolution so that “our friends” an indirect reference to the PDP shouldn’t say that “we have given up on them.” “Those resolutions remain in place. This House owns them. This resolution neither replaces nor ignores them. It is an addition to them,” he said.Omar said the resolution simply called upon the Government of India to fulfil its commitment and restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. “We do not want a half state, a quarter state or a state without powers over law and order. We were promised full statehood and full statehood is what we seek,” he said.“We wanted a resolution to be passed by the Assembly and sent to the Government of India stating that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood should be restored immediately,” he said.
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Later talking to reporters Omar said, “elections were held almost two years ago and a promise was made to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.” He said the promise has not been fulfilled. “We are asking the BJP to vote only on statehood. We are not asking them to vote on Article 370, special status or autonomy. Those resolutions have already been passed by this House.”The chief minister rejected BJP’s accusation that his resolution is an anti-national stating, “how can demanding statehood be anti-national? What is anti-national about it? We have not brought a resolution on autonomy. Those resolutions have already been passed by the House. They remain the property of the House. We are not touching them. This new resolution is only about restoring statehood and does not dilute the earlier resolutions.” However, he said, if the BJP wants to bring a resolution to replace or reject the earlier resolutions, they should do it. “We are a democracy.”
