Losing hope on Jammu and Kashmir being granted statehood, says CM Omar Abdullah
'My well-wishers told me something big for Jammu and Kashmir will be announced from Delhi on Independence Day,' the chief minister said during his Independence Day address in Srinagar. 'I was even told that papers were being prepared [for statehood]. We waited, but nothing happened.'
VIDEO | Independence Day 2025: Addressing a gathering at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah says, 'More than six years have passed since the people of Jammu and Kashmir last heard their representative address them from here. When I last spoke from this… pic.twitter.com/R5m4vSNPnX
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2025
Abdullah further announced that over the coming eight weeks, he and his team would go door to door across all 90 Assembly constituencies to collect signatures in support of restoring statehood, The Indian Express reported. These signatures will be presented before the Supreme Court, he said.
'We will ask them if they want J&K to be a state again or not,' Abdullah said. '… If they are not ready, then I will accept my defeat and accept that J&K is satisfied with these conditions.
Abdullah also called the Supreme Court's remarks on Thursday as unfortunate, The Indian Express reported. He said that while Pakistan was 'punished for 'three-four days', the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have raised their voices against such attacks, have been punished for years.
'We are not with the Pahalgam attackers,' the National Conference leader said. 'We do not accept the Pahalgam attack. But despite that, today the Pahalgam attack is being used to deny us statehood.'
On Thursday, the court noted that ground realities in the Union Territory, including incidents such as the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, cannot be ignored.
Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre had abrogated Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state, in August 2019. It also bifurcated the state into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the 2019 order abrogating Article 370 and ordered the Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
In January, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that he wanted to give the Centre the 'first opportunity' to restore the Union Territory's statehood before seeking legal recourse.
The National Conference leader told reporters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had himself committed to restoring the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. 'Every government or every individual has recourse to courts,' Omar Abdullah said. 'But that was never going to be our first option.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Need states' cooperation to implement reforms: Modi
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Centre has circulated the draft of next-generation GST reforms among states and sought their cooperation to implement the proposal before Diwali. He said the move would benefit the poor, the middle class, and businesses of all sizes. Addressing an event after inaugurating two expressways, Modi said the Centre intends to make the GST law simpler and revise tax rates. The GST Council is expected to meet next month to deliberate on the proposal. 'For us, reform means the expansion of good governance,' Modi said, adding that continuous focus was being placed on reforms. 'This Diwali, citizens will receive a double bonus through the GST reform.' He expressed hope that states would swiftly support the initiative, ensuring the new structure could be rolled out before the festive season. Under the plan, the existing four GST slabs—5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%—will be replaced with just two: 5% and 18%, along with a special 40% bracket for demerit or 'sin' goods such as tobacco and online gaming. Items currently taxed at 12%, like butter, fruit juices, and dry fruits, would move to 5%, while electronics, cement, and other goods from the 28% slab would shift to 18%, as per the proposal. The reform aims to prevent accumulation of input tax credit and reduce demands for further tweaks. While the changes may initially cause revenue loss, the Centre expects increased consumption to offset the impact. Nearly 99% of goods in the 12% category and 90% of goods in the 28% slab are expected to move to lower rates, easing the burden on households and businesses. Alongside GST reforms, the prime minister reiterated his call for 'vocal for local.' 'To make India stronger, we must take inspiration from Chakradhari Mohan (Lord Shri Krishna) to make India self-reliant, we must follow the path of Charkhadhari Mohan (Mahatma Gandhi),' Modi said. Highways inaugurated PM Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Delhi section of Dwarka Expressway and Urban Extension Road-II worth `11,000 crore to reduce traffic congestion in the capital.
Hans India
15 minutes ago
- Hans India
PM unveils next-gen GST reform draft
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday that the Central government has drafted a proposal for the next-generation Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms and has sent it to the states. He sought the cooperation of state governments to implement the proposal before Diwali this year. Speaking after inaugurating two new expressways in Delhi, Modi emphasised that these reforms would benefit not only the poor and middle class but also both small and large businesses. Modi explained that the proposed changes in the GST law aim to simplify the system and adjust tax rates, which will benefit a wide range of people and businesses. 'This is a major step toward making GST more accessible, especially for businesses and consumers,' he said. The Central government intends to introduce a simplified GST structure and will consider revising tax slabs to reduce the burden on various segments of society. In his Independence Day speech on August 15, the PM had already announced plans for these changes, describing them as a step toward promoting good governance. 'For us, reforms mean moving forward with good governance,' he had said earlier. The Prime Minister reiterated that the government would focus on continuous reforms to make life easier for people and businesses alike. He added, 'In the coming months, we are going to implement several major reforms, and this Diwali, people will get a double bonus from GST reforms.' The draft proposal for GST reforms has already been sent to the states, with the Central government hoping for their swift cooperation. Modi urged the states to complete the process promptly so that the changes could be implemented in time for the Diwali festival. The primary objectives of these reforms are to simplify the GST process and adjust tax rates to benefit a larger section of the population. New GST slabs The Union government has proposed a revised GST system that would streamline the existing tax structure into only two main tax slabs—5% and 18%. The proposal suggests eliminating the current 12% and 28% tax slabs. Additionally, a special 40% tax slab has been proposed for luxury and harmful goods. The new system aims to reduce tax complexity and ensure more efficient compliance.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Planning the next leap forward
As the Tricolour was unfurled on India's 79th Independence Day, the country stood proudly as a confident, resilient, and rising nation. It is not just the world's largest democracy, but a country that has successfully crafted its destiny since attaining independence in 1947. Notwithstanding the current headwinds of US President Donald Trump's tariff war, it has weathered many storms in the past. One may recall the sanctions by the US in 1998 after the Pokhran nuclear tests conducted by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government or the role of the US in sending its Seventh Fleet in 1971, when India's war with Pakistan led to the creation of Bangladesh. India emerged stronger on each occasion. Today, no one can stop India's rise — its time has come. Just look at the last decade, India's GDP has more than doubled. It is projected to reach $4.19 trillion by 2025, making India the fourth-largest economy, behind the United States ($30.5 trillion), China ($19.2 trillion), and Germany ($4.74 trillion) (IMF estimates). Measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, India is already the world's third-largest economy at $17.65 trillion, trailing only China ($40.72 trillion) and the US ($30.51 trillion) in 2025. All this is a reflection of rising aspirations and India's strong resolve to regain its civilisational legacy. Since Independence, poverty levels have plummeted, while literacy, life expectancy, and women's empowerment have seen transformative leaps. From Chandrayaan's historic landing near the Moon's South Pole to the trailblazing Mars mission, Mangalyaan, India has staked its place at the frontiers of space exploration. The meteoric rise of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), processing over 10 billion transactions each month and inspiring fintech innovations worldwide, reflects a digital revolution. Indian origin leaders such as Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Indra Nooyi, and many more lead some of the most influential corporations, underscoring India's intellectual and entrepreneurial footprint far beyond its borders. Lal Bahadur Shastri's call of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan,' later enriched by Vajpayee with 'Jai Vigyan' (hail science) and more recently by Modi with 'Jai Anusandhan' (hail research), reminds us that India's progress is rooted in science and technology. As Vajpayee once said, what information technology (IT) is for India, biotechnology (BT) is for Bharat. Independence Day is both a moment for celebration and reflection on the road travelled — and the one still ahead. When India gained independence in 1947, its GDP was around $30 billion. The population stood at 330 million, with an estimated 80 per cent living in poverty. The average life expectancy was a mere 32 years (1947), and literacy levels were just 18.3 per cent (1951). Foodgrain production stood at about 50 million metric tonnes (MMT). Fast forward to 2025: India's population has increased to 1.46 billion, but poverty, measured at the $3/day (2021 PPP) threshold, has fallen to just 5.3 per cent, as per World Bank estimates. Literacy has surged to 77 per cent, while life expectancy has more than doubled to 72 years (2023). Foodgrain production has multiplied sevenfold, reaching 353.9 MMT in 2024-25. India is now the world's largest rice exporter, shipping 20.2 MMT in FY25. Grain stocks with the government exceed 90 MMT, well above buffer norms. Horticulture output has risen 15 times since independence, milk production 11 times, and egg production an astonishing 77 times. From FY15 to FY25, under the Modi government, India's real GDP has grown at an average of 6.5 per cent annually, while agricultural GDP has expanded by 4 per cent per year, well above the population growth rate of under 1 per cent. As a result, India is a net exporter of agriculture, unlike the US and China, which are both net importers of agriculture. These are not mere statistics; they narrate the story of a country in motion. However, even as India has achieved food security, there are still many challenges: Nutritional security, especially of children under the age of five, remains pressing. This calls for a sharper focus on women's education, improved maternal health, and continued emphasis on sanitation. The Modi government deserves compliments for making India open defecation free (ODF), which will help improve child nutrition. In the agri-food space, however, much more can be done. In particular, rationalising food and fertiliser subsidies needs to be put on high priority. Together, these account for nearly Rs 3.71 lakh crore in the 2025–26 Union Budget — Rs 2.03 lakh crore for food and Rs 1.67 lakh crore for fertilisers. While these subsidies are meant to shield vulnerable populations, they are plagued by large inefficiencies. Studies suggest that at least 20 to 25 per cent of these subsidies fail to reach intended beneficiaries. Though politically tempting, these subsidies come at the cost of productive investments. The next leap forward has to be rationalising subsidies and increasing investments in agri-R&D and efficient value chains. India's future lies in empowering its citizens to innovate, invest, and generate sustainable incomes. Environmental sustainability has to be central to this journey. The quality of India's soil, water, and air needs to be protected to attain the Viksit Bharat vision by 2047. As we reflect with pride on our progress, it is equally important to look outward. While India has surpassed Pakistan and Bangladesh in per capita income — both in nominal and PPP terms — it remains far behind China, which began its journey around the same time. China's per capita income in 2025 is $13,690 (PPP $28,980), while India is at $2,880 (PPP $12,130). However, for India, democracy remains its compass, setting it apart from its neighbours. India's story is still a work in progress. The world watches it closely. It has lessons for many countries in Asia and Africa, and in many high-tech sectors, it competes with the best. The vision of the Modi government for a Viksit Bharat by 2047 can be realised only if we remain focused on accelerating growth in an inclusive manner, cut down bureaucratic hurdles, and adopt a scientific culture as the guiding principle, backed by investments. Gulati is Distinguished Professor and Juneja is a Research Fellow at ICRIER. Views are personal
