Rushing to court for statehood restoration will be the last option: CM
Bats for free and fair media, fulfilment of promises made in election manifesto
Srinagar: Rushing to the courts for seeking restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will be my government’s last option, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Thursday.
In his first press interaction as Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah addressed various pressing issues, including governance challenges, land concerns, media freedom and providing a responsive administration.
Omar defended his decision of not approaching the courts rather than meeting the central leadership with the resolution on the restoration of statehood by saying that going to the courts would mean getting into a confrontation.
“Simply going to court will be a fight. A fight should never be the first option, it should be the last option. If the SC had not spoken about the restoration of the statehood, if the prime minister and home minister had not spoken about it, then we could have gone to courts. They have made promises and we have to give them a chance first,” he added.
He expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir’s Union Territory status is a temporary phase and that the central government fulfils its promise of restoring its statehood.
“For us, the biggest challenge is to get our statehood back. We the people are now expecting that the promises made to us will be fulfilled. The biggest promise is the restoration of the statehood.
“The Supreme Court in its judgement had also stated that the statehood should be restored as soon as possible. One year has passed since and we think one year should be enough,” Abdullah said in a freewheeling interaction with mediapersons at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here.
He took questions on various issues confronting his two-month-old government, including the functioning of an elected government that has to share powers with the Centre’s appointee — the Lieutenant Governor.
“It has been a little over two months since we came to power. It took us time to understand how the UT government works. We have been associated with the government earlier, but there is a vast difference between that form and the present form,” Abdullah said.
The Centre in August 5, 2019, revoked Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganised the state into two UTs. While J-K has a legislative assembly with limited powers, Ladakh is without a legislature.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the Centre’s decisions to revoke special status and create the two UTs but told the Union government to restore the statehood of J-K as soon as possible.
Prime Minister NarendraModi and Union Home Minster Amit Shah have on numerous occasions, including in Parliament, said that the statehood of J-K would be restored at an appropriate time.
Abdullah, speaking to the reporters, said the start of the new government has been “decent” and that they “did not find much difficulty” in it.
“We are bound by our election promises. We have started the process of implementing some of the promises and for other promises, we need change in the system. I hope J-K being a UT is a temporary phase,” Abdullah said.
He said it is important to understand that his party’s manifesto was for a five-year term, not five weeks or five months.
“Some issues were important to us and we fulfilled those including the resolution on the statehood and the resolution on the special status,” he said.
Brushing aside reports that there was pressure on his National Conference party to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Abdullah said there was no truth in the rumours that the Central leaders of the BJP were trying to coerce him.
“There is no pressure from the prime minister, home minister or the Raj Bhawan on us to change our ideology. I have been told by the PM and the home minister that your (NC) government will not be destabilised, and that we will give you the same cooperation as was given to the LG.
“They have stated they will respect the mandate of the people. Those spreading rumours that I will now join NDA and that I have changed my ideology, I cannot help that. I am here to work and I will work,” he said.
Abdullah said the sentiments of the people should be respected and their aspirations fulfilled.
He added that no chief minister of a Union territory is as empowered as the chief minister of a state.
“That is a fact. There is no point in living in denial. If I were an empowered CM, why would I ask for restoration of statehood,” he asked.
The Chief Minister was candid to approve that the hybrid model of governance in the Union territory is not to anyone’s advantage and the systems work better when there is single centre of command.
“Obviously, dual centres of power are not to anyone’s advantage. If dual centres were effective tools of governance, you would see it everywhere,” Abdullah said when asked about the hybrid model of governance in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Systems work better when there is single centre of command. For the UT, the dual centres of command are inbuilt. There have been differences of opinion on some issues, but not on the scale at which it is being speculated. Such reports are just a figment of imagination,” he added.
Abdullah said the business rules for the government would be framed after proper consultations and then sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The chief minister said that he was not the one to tell people not to go to the Raj Bhavan.
“I would say people should go wherever they can get their issues resolved — be it in the Raj Bhavan or with the local MLA or the officers,” he added.
Asked about his party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s protest over the issue of reservation, Abdullah said the National Conference (NC) is a democracy and anyone has the right to speak.
“NC was often accused of being a family party. But we have always said that we are a democracy and everyone has a right to speak. Look at the positive side, how much change has come,” Abdullah said.
“From a time when protesting was considered illegal, people protested and reached my door. We had a meeting afterwards,” he added, referring to the anti-reservation protest near his residence in Gupkar which was joined by Mehdi.
As far as reservation is concerned, I told the delegates that the cabinet sub-committee has been framed, the chief minister said.
The party expected that Mehdi, the LokSabha MP from Srinagar, would hold a similar protest for the restoration of statehood in Parliament as well, he added.
Abdullah, however, said while we can fight the reserved and open category fight, “but first we have to save our jobs”.
“What will we do when people from other places come here for jobs?” he asked.
Responding to a question about the Raj Bhavan not restoring public holiday on NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birthday on December 5, and July 13 as Martyr’s Day, the chief minister said it cannot erase the legacy of those who have made sacrifices.
“The legacy of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah does not begin and end on December 5. Same goes with the martyrs of July 13. When a farmer tills his land, he thinks of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. When a student receives free or subsidized education, it is legacy of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. The hall where we are sitting right now was his legacy as well,” Abdullah said.
“The holidays became a big story. Ideally, we would want to have them as they are emotionally attached with people,” he added.
Asked about difficulties faced by the candidates on account of police verification for appointments in the government jobs, Abdullah said although it is outside his domain as of now, he has discussed the matter with the CID chief.
“I have been long saying this that a militant’s son is not a militant. Consciously, we did away with this blacklisting (in his first term as CM). We can only counsel about it right now. But I believe there is some relief. More will be done for them when we are a state,” he said.
Abdullah also said that his government was framing a policy to address the situation of hoteliers in Gulmarg whose land leases have expired after they had opted for now-disbanded Roshini scheme.
Responding to a question on the row over land acquisition for a campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the chief minister said there is a need to find a balance between development and protecting our productive agriculture land.
“We cannot increase our land, development cannot stop. We will try to ensure that development projects are on non-productive lands as much as possible. I met a delegation from Pulwama and I said to them that if you don’t want NIT in Pulwama, we will take it to some other location,” Abdullah said.
“Not everyone is against development. There are other areas where we can locate this NIT. We will have to find a balance between development and protecting our productive agriculture land,” he added.
On the opposition’s allegation about a satellite colony being built, the chief minister said there is no such proposal on his table as he looks after the department.
“The people who are making most noise were the ones who talked about greater Jammu and Srinagar,” he said.
The chief minister said if the townships would be built, they will just for decongesting the Srinagar city.
“When we talk generally to the residents in Srinagar, they talk about decongestion. There is problem of housing. 3-4 families are living in a single house, they say if they get an opportunity they would move to suburbs,” Abdullah said.
“If the townships will be built, those will not be to settle the outsiders, but for the people of Srinagar, to decongest the city. But there is no such proposal or plan before the government yet,” he added.
Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the state of media freedom, asserting the need for a free and fair press.
The chief minister pledged his commitment to fostering a free and independent press.
“I wish to see the media free from any pull or pressure. I don’t want to see you getting phone calls asking why you wrote something,” he stated. He reiterated that his government would respect the independence of journalists and ensure they could work without fear or bias.
Abdullah also acknowledged past grievances regarding media accreditation and confirmed that he had spoken to the ADG CID to review cases where journalists’ credentials had been withheld.
The inclusivity of the meeting was appreciated by several journalists, who pointed out that this was the first time since 2019 that an official invitation had been extended without selective bias.
Many welcomed the interaction as a departure from previous practices, which they said often, involved a “pick-and-choose” policy that excluded many voices.
The CM also addressed the long-standing demand for the reinstatement of the Press Club in Srinagar. He assured the media fraternity that steps would be taken to restore the institution, though he stressed the importance of ensuring it is managed by a credible organization dedicated to the welfare of journalists.
Responding to the BJP’s claims that the abrogation of Article 370 had settled the Kashmir issue, Abdullah countered, “The BJP says the issue is settled, but what about PoK? Has that issue been settled?,” he asked.
Addressing power shortages, Abdullah outlined his government’s strategy to improve energy management.
“We hope that the power we generate in summer will be returned to us in winter. Our T&D losses arehuge and we need to reduce it. Unscheduled power cuts are often due to maintenance, and we try to fix them as soon as possible,” he said.
On fulfilling promises made to the electorate, Abdullah said, “We have fulfilled resolutions on statehood, reversed the academic calendar, and enhanced public interaction. A report card will be shared after 100 days. Some promises, like statehood, require more time.”
Omar Abdullah’s remarks reflected both optimism and realism, emphasizing the need for efficient governance, public engagement, and the restoration of statehood to ensure Jammu and Kashmir’s bright future.
