NC MP Ruhullah's political rebellion: A new front or another familiar fall?
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India.com
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Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Omar Abdullah's signature campaign draws flak
The launch of a signature campaign for statehood restoration by J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah has drawn sharp criticism from leaders of various political parties terming it as shameful. The launch of a signature campaign for statehood restoration by J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah has drawn sharp criticism from leaders of various political parties terming it as shameful. (ANI File) In his Independence Day speech at Bakshi Stadium on Friday, Omar said that he is going to launch a signature campaign across J&K for statehood restoration and will reach every house and village of UT. 'In the next 8 weeks, we will reach out to all 90 assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, gathering signatures from the people in support of the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. We will not rest until our rights are restored. We cannot be denied equality,' Omar Abdullah said while two former CMs Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were in audience along with over a dozen legislators. The PDP criticised Omar Abdullah's signature campaign. 'Omar Abdullah owes an apology not a signature campaign for normalising 5th August. With 50 MLAs behind him, he has reduced the fight for J&K's statehood to token gestures, after seeking votes door-to-door on the promise of restoring pre–5th August status. This is not just retreat, it is betrayal. The people gave him a historic mandate to fight for Article 370 and statehood, not to stage political theatre. If he has already surrendered, he must admit it and apologise to every citizen of J&K for selling promises he never intended to keep,' PDP legislative party leader Waheed ur Rehman Para wrote on X. People's Conference chairman Sajjad Lone said he supports statehood but the said signature campaign has no legal value. 'I beg you. Please stop this childish and immature attitude. We will support any campaign unconditionally. But please ensure that a resolution from the state assembly is also passed and sent to the Supreme Court,' he said. Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi called the move 'a shameful confession of political irrelevance and utter failure'. 'Omar had a golden opportunity to fight for the rights of the people when the NC got a full mandate to represent the aspirations of Kashmiris, especially on Article 370 and statehood. Instead of pursuing these goals with conviction, NC has chosen the path of surrender and soft obedience towards the BJP. This signature campaign is nothing but a diversion from their betrayal,' he said. He termed Omar's statement a classic case of 'political theatre', noting that the NC's past performance in power and their silence during the critical years post-August 5, 2019, speaks volumes about their priorities. 'If Omar truly had the will, he would have mobilised legislators including that of oppositions , taken legal and constitutional routes and built a national-level consensus for the restoration of rights. Instead, he's now going door-to-door collecting signatures, as if Kashmir's dignity can be traded with a petition paper,' he said.
Scroll.in
a day ago
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‘Theatrics': Opposition criticises Omar Abdullah for signature campaign seeking J&K statehood
Opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday described Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's announcement of launching a signature campaign to seek statehood for the Union Territory as ' theatrics ' and a ' token gesture '. Abdullah said during his speech on the occasion of Independence Day that his hope for statehood being restored to Jammu and Kashmir was fading. The chief minister 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. These signatures will be presented before the Supreme Court, he said. Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed Para said Abdullah 'owes an apology, not a signature campaign', accusing the chief minister of reducing the fight for statehood to tokenism. 'The people gave him a historic mandate to fight for Article 370 and statehood, not to stage political theatre,' Para said in a social media post. He also accused Abdullah of betraying the commitment he made in the run-up to the Assembly elections. 'If he has already surrendered, he must admit it and apologise to every citizen of J&K for selling promises he never intended to keep,' Para added. Omar Abdullah owes an apology not a signature campaign for normalising 5th August. With 50 MLAs behind him, he has reduced the fight for J&K's statehood to token gestures, after seeking votes door-to-door on the promise of restoring pre–5th August status. This is not just… — Waheed Para (@parawahid) August 15, 2025 Peoples Conference president Sajad Lone also criticised Abdullah, questioning why the chief minister was avoiding bringing a resolution in the Assembly, which would carry 'constitutional dignity'. 'Signature campaigns have no legal or constitutional sanctity,' Lone said. 'Name one event empirically in India or in the rest of the world where signature campaigns have altered legal interpretations. They are not even admissible. Assembly resolutions reflect the will of the people unambiguously.' We will support any movement towards statehood. But please don't make a mockery of statehood. We are already reeling under the impact of a 'Tom Dick and Harry' approaching the Supreme court. Let us approach the Supreme Court as a constitutional entity not as another 'Tom Dick… — Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) August 15, 2025 Abdullah claimed on Friday that he was told 'something big for Jammu and Kashmir will be announced from Delhi on Independence Day'. 'I was even told that papers were being prepared [for statehood],' said the chief minister. 'We waited, but nothing happened.' 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.'
