Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Sept 29: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today warned Centre over testing the patience of people of Jammu and Kashmir and urged it to swiftly restore Statehood to the Union Territory.
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“The people of J&K have been patiently waiting for the restoration of Statehood and I urge the Centre not to test their patience any longer,” he said.
Omar told reporters at Ganderbal that New Delhi should understand that it does take a long to spoil the atmosphere and it should take a cue from Ladakh.
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“We are not the kind of people who take the law into our own hands or spoil the atmosphere. It does not take long to spoil the atmosphere. Look at Ladakh: within a few hours, protests erupted, firing began, and innocent lives were lost,” he said.
The Chief Minister described the restoration of statehood as a fundamental right and urged the Centre to act without delay as it is a promise made by both the Central Government and the Supreme Court of India.
“Statehood is not charity; it is a right. The processes of delimitation and elections are complete. What lies ahead is the restoration of Statehood. People have shown remarkable patience, but it is time for the promise to be fulfilled,” he said.
Omar stressed that the demand is just and lawful and vowed to pursue it peacefully and Constitutionally.
The Chief Minister compared the situation in Ladakh to the aftermath of the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the creation of the Union Territory.
“Those who were distributing sweets in August 2019 were thanking the Central Government. Today, many of the same people regret the consequences and realize development has not improved under the UT arrangement,” he said.
Reflecting further on Ladakh, he said, “We always warned the people of Ladakh that their demand for Union Territory status could have unintended consequences. Sadly, their lives have not improved under the new arrangement.”
Omar reiterated his party’s commitment to the welfare of Jammu and Kashmir’s people. “We will help people in the UT. We will not let them be disappointed or helpless. We will provide clean drinking water, roads, health care, education, playgrounds, and improved electricity systems,” he added.
Highlighting his personal journey, the Chief Minister said, “You trusted me and brought me to this position. Had you not urged me to contest elections, I would not have been here. I would have changed the face of Ganderbal,” he said.
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