Farooq Abdullah: Restoring J&K statehood a constitutional right, not a concession - ‘to fly a kite without wind'
National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah has said the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood is not a concession but a constitutional right.
Addressing a meeting of NC workers in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, the former chief minister called for an immediate return to full democratic authority in the region.
"Restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood is not a concession but a constitutional right. Statehood is not a gift, it is the people's right, long overdue and repeatedly promised by the ruling government," he said.
Farooq is a three-time chief minister of the erstwhile state, a former Member of Parliament (MP) and ex-Union Minister.
The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government has promised the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
On June 6, Farooq Abdullah's son, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, raised the issue of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the flagging off of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden train to Kashmir in Katra, the pilgrim town in Jammu.
'There are four persons on this stage who were present at the inauguration of the Katra railway station (in 2014). You had just won the election, becoming the Prime Minister for the first time. MoS in PMO Jitendra Singh was present then, and our LG Manoj Sinha sahib was MoS Railways, and I was here as chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir,' Omar said while PM was on stage.
"If you see, by the blessings of Mata (Vaishno Devi) Sinhaji has got a promotion (LG now) and I had a demotion. I was chief minister of a state and now I am a CM of the UT. However, I believe that it will not take long to rectify it .... Jammu and Kashmir will again get the statehood under your watch only," Omar Abdullah said.
At the meeting on Wednesday, however, senior Abdullah assured party workers that the NC government in Jammu and Kashmir is prioritising these challenges. Farooq also criticised Jammu and Kashmir's union territory status as a bottleneck to real governance.
"Jammu and Kashmir is vast, not just in land but in its layered culture. Governing it under the limited framework of a union territory is like trying to fly a kite without wind," he said.
Governing it under the limited framework of a union territory is like trying to fly a kite without wind.
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