Amid reports that the newly elected Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah-led cabinet passed the resolution for the restoration of statehood for J&K, opposition parties criticized the government for abandoning the demand of Article 370 to keep BJP in good humour.
Reacting to reports regarding the passing of the statehood resolution in the J&K Assembly, Lok Sabha member from Baramulla and chairman of the Awami Ittehad Party Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, alleged that the NC and BJP are working together behind the scenes.
"Omar Abdullah during his first cabinet meeting, passed a resolution seeking the restoration of statehood, which contradicted the NC's long-standing position and campaign promise", he said and recalled that the NC has promised a fight for Article 370 and related issues, but Omar is now deviating from these key matters by focusing only on the restoration of statehood".
He pointed out that statehood had already been promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Apparently the cabinet has passed a resolution on statehood. This is as per the headlines of an authentic newspaper based out of Jammu.
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) October 18, 2024
In wonderment why should a resolution on statehood passed by the cabinet be shrouded in mystery and secrecy — that only one newspaper…
Reacting to the report, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) expressed disappointment over the government's first reported resolution, which demands the restoration of statehood but not Article 370.
The PDP described this move as a "huge setback", and akin to ratifying the Centre's 2019 decisions. The People's Conference also questioned the secrecy surrounding the resolution.
PDP youth president and MLA-elect from Pulwama, Waheed Parra, criticized Omar Abdullah's resolution on statehood, stating that it essentially ratified the August 5, 2019 decision. He argued that the lack of a resolution on Article 370 and the focus on statehood alone was a significant setback, especially after campaigning on the promise of restoring Article 370.
Omar Abdullah's first resolution on statehood is nothing less than ratification of the August 5th, 2019 decision. No resolution on Article 370 and scaling down the demand to mere statehood is a huge setback, especially after seeking votes on the promise of restoring Article 370.
— Waheed Para (@parawahid) October 18, 2024
People's Conference chief Sajad Lone questioned the secrecy of the statehood resolution, noting that it was only published by one newspaper.
The resolution of statehood should be passed in the Assembly, not in the cabinet
Sajad Gani Lone, MLA from Handwara, emphasized that the resolution should have been passed in the assembly rather than the cabinet, as the assembly better reflects the will of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He stated that the Assembly is the appropriate institution for addressing major issues like statehood or Article 370. He pointed out that when the National Conference (NC) government passed a resolution on autonomy, it was done in the assembly, not through a cabinet resolution. Lone expressed confusion over why the current resolution was not reserved for the assembly and criticized the trivialization of such important matters.
Lone also mentioned that he would have liked to see how the BJP and other parties would vote on statehood and Article 370 resolutions if presented in the assembly. He reminded the National Conference of its commitment, as per the party's election manifesto, to strive to restore Articles 370 and 35A, and statehood as it was before August 5, 2019. He urged the NC to pass a resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly against the Centre's decision to strip the region of its statehood and special status.
Omar's cabinet passed a resolution on statehood
Reports said that in its first meeting, Omar Abdullah's cabinet passed a resolution demanding the restoration of the statehood.
Quoting some insiders, reports said that the resolution about the restoration of statehood was passed in the cabinet meeting under the chairmanship of Omar Abdullah.
The meeting was attended by Deputy CM Surinder Kumar Choudhary along with ministers Sakeena Itoo, Javed Ahmad Rana, Javid Ahmad Dar, and Satish Sharma.
The draft resolution has been prepared, and the Chief Minister will travel to New Delhi in a few days to present it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. During the recent Cabinet meeting, key administrative issues were discussed, and the government's immediate priorities were outlined.
The newly formed Cabinet reviewed significant governance challenges, focusing on streamlining processes, addressing public grievances, and promoting transparency within the bureaucracy. They also evaluated the progress of ongoing development projects.
