By: MONIKA RANWA
Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on October 16, 2024, marking his second term since 2009. Surinder Kumar Choudhary was appointed as Deputy Chief Minister. The ceremony, held at the SKICC in Srinagar, included the swearing-in of five legislators for the Council of Ministers. Notably, no Congress members took the oath, protesting the lack of restoration of Statehood for J&K. Abdullah acknowledged the challenges of being the Chief Minister of a Union Territory. Prominent leaders from the INDIA bloc, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, attended the ceremony.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah stated in the party’s manifesto that they will only make promises they can fulfill. He emphasized that this document is not just for elections but a roadmap for governance over the next five years. Restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s political and legal status, Implementing autonomy proposals and Articles 370 and 35(A), Holding talks with Pakistan, Releasing political prisoners, Revoking the Public Safety Act, Facilitating the dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits, Simplifying job verification and passport issuance processes,
Abdullah reaffirmed their commitment to restoring statehood, citing the Indian government’s prior commitment to the Supreme Court. If not done voluntarily, they will seek justice through the courts. On August 10, 2019, when Article 370 was abolished, the statehood status of Jammu and Kashmir was also revoked. Since then, the region has been administered by a governor, but now that the assembly elections have taken place, the people have chosen their representatives. The National Conference has pledged to restore political and legal status to Jammu and Kashmir and to bring peace to the region. The Government of India has already made this promise to the Supreme Court. The National Conference party will seek justice through the court if it does not voluntarily restore statehood. Granting statehood will empower the Jammu and Kashmir government with the authority to fulfill its commitments.
In December 2023 Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to obtain directives from the central government and specify a timeline for when statehood will be restored. The Attorney General should obtain directives at a high level and clarify if there is any timeline for restoring statehood. Currently, hearings regarding Article 370 are ongoing in the Supreme Court. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that they have received directives from the central government stating that Jammu and Kashmir will not remain a centrally administered territory permanently. Statehood will be granted once the situation normalizes, but who will determine when the situation is normal? The central government has been asserting this for the past five years.
The alliance of Congress and NC coming to power again brings statehood into the limelight. This will indeed be shaping political scenarios and narratives stating that statehood must be granted. For the first time in India’s history, statehood has been revoked. A centrally administered territory has been created, while states like Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Arunachal Pradesh were formed by bifurcating existing states. However, this is the first instance where the status of a state has been revoked, depriving people of their rights.
