Losing hope on statehood… This dual system built for failure': In first I-Day speech, Omar takes on Centre
Giving his first Independence Day speech after returning as CM, at Bakshi Stadium here, Abdullah announced a signature campaign seeking the return of statehood to J&K, while questioning the delay in doing so. He was beginning to lose hope on this after multiple reassurances, he said.
Traditionally, militancy had declined under elected governments in J&K, he said, adding: 'Today we are told that the elected government can't be trusted to handle the situation here.' Hearing a petition seeking restoration of statehood, the Supreme Court Thursday observed that incidents like the Pahalgam terror attack 'could not be ignored' and that 'the ground situation' would have to be factored in.
'I do not want anyone to be the Chief Minister of a Union Territory. I have repeatedly said this system of governance is not for success, it is for failure,' Abdullah said, adding that he did not realise it was going to be 'so difficult'. 'I did not know that attempts would be made to change the decisions of the Cabinet without the approval of the Cabinet. I did not know that decisions of the Cabinet would be stopped. They would not be approved. They would be locked up somewhere and forgotten'.
Abdullah added: 'Sometimes I feel… that if our situation can be compared with something, it is to a horse whose front legs are tied and who is told to run. It may be able to walk, reach from here to there, but it will face great difficulty. And the speed at which it may want to reach, it won't be able to… Hamari bhi haalat yahi hai. Hamein hukumat di gayi hai, hukumat mein ikhtiyariyat hai, lekin kahin na kahin hamare haath hamari peeth ke peechay baandhe gaye hain (Our condition is the same. We have been given power, that power has its rights, but somewhere, our hands have been tied behind our backs).'
On the Pahalgam attack being a reason to deny statehood, the CM said: 'I regret what we heard in the Supreme Court… Today we are told that the elected government cannot be trusted to handle the situation here. When did we show that we are not worthy of this trust? Just trust us once. We have not failed before this… Remember that there were elected governments, whether it was my government or before my government… we did not allow such situations to arise.'
Referring to the Centre's promise that statehood will be returned to J&K, Abdullah said: 'Some friends and relatives tell me again and again that something will change this year. 'This year there will be an announcement, wait for it'. 'On 15th August, there will be a big announcement from Delhi for Jammu and Kashmir'. Though in reality there was not much hope, when a person listens to something again and again, somewhere, in a small corner of the heart, something gets stuck… And with great impatience, we waited for that speech… waited that, perhaps in a corner of this speech, we will get to hear a big announcement for Jammu and Kashmir. I was even told, 'Papers are being prepared, now it is just a matter of time'. We waited. It did not happen.'
The CM added that he used to talk about a ray of light. 'The truth is the ray of light has diminished slightly… The reality is that the hope I had a few days ago, perhaps that hope is not there today.'
Speaking about Operation Sindoor launched against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, Abdullah said that while Pakistan was punished for 'three-four days', the people of J&K who raised their voice against the attack have been punished for years and are still being punished. 'How long will it last? We are not with the Pahalgam attackers. We do not accept the Pahalgam attack. But despite that, today the Pahalgam attack is being used to deny us statehood.'
Admitting that he had always held that J&K would not benefit from fighting with the Centre, but achieve something from good relations with it, the CM said, 'I had to hear taunts for this. I was made fun of for this… However, it takes two hands to clap.'
Other mainstream parties in the Valley have accused the NC government of 'compromising' with the Centre after coming to power. Abdullah has consciously avoided pressing the issue of Article 370, and has been banking on restoration of statehood by the Centre as a conciliatory gesture. The Modi government has indicated that return of statehood is very much a part of its plans, but has dragged its feet on the issue.
Announcing a signature campaign for restoration of statehood, Abdullah said: 'We must all leave our offices and homes now, and raise our voices at those doors where decisions are being made for us. Till now, through letters, resolutions and meetings we have raised our voice. Now we are going to raise our voice from every village of J&K before Delhi.'
With the next hearing on the issue in the Supreme Court in eight weeks, the CM said: 'My colleagues and I will not sit idle. We will not get tired. We will use these eight weeks to reach all the 90 Assembly constituencies of J&K. We will try to reach every house, every village and get signatures from people. We will ask them if they want J&K to be a state again or not… If they are not ready, then I will accept my defeat and accept that J&K is satisfied with these conditions.'
Speaking to reporters after the Independence Day function, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said his party would take up the signature campaign with full vigour. Praising his son and CM Omar Abdullah's 'stern message', Farooq said he had mixed emotions while attending the Independence Day function after several years (the NC government, elected last year, is the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019).
'There were tears and there was happiness as well. Tears because I have also been a CM here, we had Article 370, Article 35A and we were a state,' Farooq said.
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