Srinagar, Sept 22: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have addressed the issue of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in his speech to the nation yesterday.
“You don’t see what our situation is. You are talking about GST. It would have been better if he had spoken about statehood in his address,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.
In his address last evening, the Prime Minister said that the next generation of GST reforms would accelerate India’s growth story.
Asked about his expectations from the Supreme Court on statehood restoration, Abdullah said not only the NC but the common people of Jammu and Kashmir were hopeful. “Everyone has expectations, not just the National Conference. Everyone in Jammu and Kashmir expects our statehood to be returned. I don’t want anything for myself,” he said.
On the dual-control governance in the union Territory, Abdullah likened it to “walking on the edge of a sword.” “But we have to walk. We cannot back down,” he added.
When asked about JKLF chairman Yasin Malik’s case, Abdullah said it was a matter for the courts. “Courts make the decision. We have no role in that,” he said.
Commenting on the continued detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), Abdullah said the legislator had used inappropriate language against an officer. “The words he used were very wrong, unparliamentary. But invoking PSA was also wrong. They could have resolved it through talks,” he remarked.
He, however, clarified that the elected government has no authority to revoke the PSA. “The authority is not in our hands. It is in the hands of the Lieutenant Governor,” Abdullah said.
