Abolish UT-with-Assembly system: CM Omar to PM
Reaffirms his govt’s commitment to development
Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to abolish the Union Territory-with-Assembly system, while expressing hope that long-pending Transaction of Business Rules would be approved in the coming days to end “governance confusion” in Jammu and Kashmir.
Replying to a debate on the motion of thanks to the lieutenant governor’s address in the assembly, Abdullah said the sooner the UT-with-Assembly system is removed from the Constitution, the more beneficial it would be for the country.
“It is true that working in a Union Territory is extremely difficult. I hold my ears and ask who came up with this model of a UT with an Assembly. I say this openly— if our Prime Minister wants to give a gift to this country, it should be to abolish this system.
“If you want to keep a UT, then do not keep an Assembly; and if an area is fit to have an Assembly, then make it a state,” the chief minister said during his over an hour-long speech.
Referring to the speech of a legislator who recently claimed that the chief minister had himself admitted that officers do not listen to him, Abdullah said “though there is no truth in the statement but it is extremely difficult to run the government with your hands tied behind the back through this UT-with-Assembly model, which is a huge betrayal of the people’s mandate”.
“How difficult it is to work under these conditions…while preparing a budget, would you change your finance secretary 10 days before presenting it?” Abdullah asked Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, who had been finance minister several times in the past.
“We were preparing the budget, and on social media I read that the finance secretary of Jammu and Kashmir— because now we are part of the UT cadre and transfers are not in our control— has been transferred to Delhi with immediate effect. This is the situation. Tell me, is there anywhere else in the country where, while a budget is being prepared, the finance secretary is suddenly told goodbye,” Abdullah said.
Thankfully, he said, after speaking with the chief secretary, it was ensured that the finance secretary is retained till February 9.
“Otherwise, he would have left, and I do not know under what circumstances the budget would have been prepared. This is the situation.
“The most important post in administration is considered to be the Resident Commissioner in Delhi, because his job is to coordinate with the central government, follow up on projects, and secure approvals. But our Resident Commissioner’s post has been given as an additional charge to the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu. Now tell me, how will the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu also handle the work of the Resident Commissioner in Delhi?” he said.
Abdullah, however, expected hope that the long pending Business Rules would be approved in the coming days.
“Until our Business Rules are approved—and work on this is ongoing—it will take time because it is a complex issue…I am fully confident that in the coming days our Business Rules will be fixed. Until we receive full statehood, this confusion over Business Rules continues to trap many of our issues,” he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir government framed the Transaction of Business Rules in March last year and sent the file to the LG for approval to facilitate smooth governance without confusion.
Omar also reaffirmed his commitment to development, saying his government’s focus remains on youth employment, economic growth and revival of tourism.
Taking strong exception to remarks from certain quarters advocating statehood only for Jammu, he said it was “extremely unfortunate” to portray Kashmiris as “untrustworthy or anti-national”.
Such statements undermine the sacrifices made by people of the Valley, including police personnel, in the fight against terrorism, Abdullah stressed.
He also dismissed claims of discrimination against Jammu, saying the National Conference government ensures equal development across all regions without bias.
“Our eyes have not shifted from the target — the development of Jammu and Kashmir. We will take it further along the path of prosperity. We will create more employment opportunities for the youth and will revive tourism… we will quietly keep doing our work,” he said.
Replying to the motion of thanks to the lieutenant governor’s address, Abdullah said the past year was challenging due to the Pahalgam terror attack in April, Operation Sindoor in May, floods across several areas and the Delhi blast.
“Despite all the challenges, we will not step back from our goal,” he said.
Commenting on his party’s poll manifesto, the chief minister said his government had already made a beginning through its first budget, covering social welfare, ration distribution, education, health and resolutions on special status and statehood.
“Is there any issue in our manifesto that we did not speak about, or any promise… on which we did not begin work?” he asked.
Rejecting allegations that Kashmiris cannot be trusted, he said ordinary Kashmiris have never stood against peace, recalling how locals condemned last year’s Pahalgam attack and how a Kashmiri youth lost his life while saving tourists.
Warning against demands to separate Jammu from Kashmir, he pointed to Ladakh’s experience after seeking Union Territory status.
Referring to activist Sonam Wangchuk’s detention, Abdullah said, “This is what we have done to Ladakh”, and cautioned against repeating the same for Jammu.
On flood relief, he said the process had not stalled, noting that the “mother sanction” was received only 15–20 days ago and detailed project reports were being prepared.
He assured the House that relief would be distributed purely based on damage, without political considerations, as was done in 2014.
