J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah says hope for statehood has lessened

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that his hope about the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir had lessened, but not ended. “I was hopeful from the very first day,” he said in Jammu. “My hopefulness has lessened a bit, but it’s still there.”

 

“Naturally, the longer this goes on, the more that hope will fade. It’s human nature,” the chief minister said. “The more you make us wait, the less hopeful we will become.” He said it’s only been a year so far, and there’s still some hope left. “If something happens during this period of hopefulness, it will be good,” he said.

Earlier, in an interview, the Chief Minister said he would resign if statehood is not restored within a finite time.

 

Observers say Omar’s statement about resigning from the Chief Ministership highlights the helplessness and frustration he is facing for not having enough power to deliver. He has faced criticism from party MP Agha Roullullah Mehdi for not doing enough to fight for the restoration of statehood. Mehdi is unhappy with Omar for not proactively demanding the restoration of statehood.

 

The Centre has maintained that it will restore statehood at an appropriate time. Two residents from Kashmir have moved the Supreme Court against the Centre for not restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The Centre had linked the restoration of statehood to delimitation and the holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Both processes have been completed. However, the restoration of statehood continues to hang fire, much to the chagrin of the party in power.

 

The Chief Minister’s statement about resignation came in the wake of the Rajya Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir, where the BJP was able to win one seat despite not having enough numbers. BJP’s state president Sat Sharma defeated Imran Nabi Dar of the NC. Sharma secured 32 votes against Dar’s 21. The extra four votes that Sharma got ensured the BJP’s representation in the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir.

 

The four extra votes that Sharma got were due to cross-voting by some MLAs of the NC-Congress alliance, supported by the PDP and five Independents. The cross-voting by some MLAs in favour of the BJP has left the ruling alliance red-faced

India