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Srinagar: Two days after the BJP secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha elections, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that his expectations for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir were steadily declining as the delay continued. Speaking to reporters at the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly office, CM Omar Abdullah said that he had maintained hope for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir from the beginning. However, he acknowledged that the ongoing delay was gradually eroding that optimism. Abdullah said, “I have been hoping for the return of statehood since day one, but the continuous delay is reducing my confidence.” He also refused to comment on reports suggesting he might resign if the issue was not addressed within a specific timeframe. “I am not going to say anything about that. I have nothing more to say,” he added. Abdullah further said that governance under the Union Territory framework presents structural challenges, and he reiterated his call for a discussion on the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Responding to a question during a media interaction, Abdullah said that if governance in a Union Territory setup were without complications, other states would have opted for it. “If there were no obstacles in governance in a UT setup, am I mad to seek statehood? If it were easy in a UT, then all states would have sought to be a UT,” he said. He pointed to limitations in administrative control, stating that while departments are under the elected government, officers posted in them are not of its choosing. “There are institutions which should have been under the control of the elected government, but are still not with us,” he added.Abdullah also expressed concern over the lack of debate on statehood in the legislative assembly. He said that a resolution on the issue would have clarified the position of the 28 BJP MLAs. “We wanted to talk about it. One MLA tried to bring a resolution, but it seems the Speaker has barred it. The Speaker is the custodian of the House,” he said. He further added, “I know where I stand on the statehood issue. If a resolution for the restoration of statehood comes, I know which way we will vote. But we have a party with 28 MLAs about which we have no idea what they think about statehood. They sought votes on statehood, but the Centre did not restore it.”Abdullah further added that the business rules for the Union Territory government were still awaiting approval from the Centre. “Few rounds of discussions have taken place between our officers and the Centre. They raised some questions, but we clarified that the rules are under the J&K Reorganisation Act. These rules should be approved,” he said.Pertinently, Omar Abdullah had stated that while the party remains committed to the issue of Article 370, expecting its reinstatement from the BJP, the same party that revoked it, would be unrealistic. “Our position has remained consistent. We have never claimed that we will abandon the issue of Article 370 or that it no longer matters to us,” Abdullah had said. “I’ve repeated this before the elections as well, believing that those who took it away will bring it back is a misguided expectation,” he added.Also Read | After Bihar, SIR To Be Held In 12 States, UTs; Process Begins Tomorrow, Final List On Feb 7
