SRINAGAR: In a candid conversation with former Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal on his YouTube series “Dil Se Kapil Sibal”, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah offered a blunt assessment of the erosion of administrative authority under Union Territory governance, accusing the current system of weakening the Chief Minister’s role and breeding bureaucratic unresponsiveness. His remarks, laced with political unease and personal frustration, drew sharp responses from opposition quarters and rekindled the debate on Jammu and Kashmir’s demand for restored statehood.
Omar recalled the decisiveness he once wielded when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state. “When I was the Chief Minister of the state, if I told an officer to do something, he would tell me ten ways how it could be done. Today, if I tell an officer to do something, he gives me ten reasons why it cannot be done,” he said, lamenting the erosion of executive authority since August 5, 2019, when the region was stripped of its special status and downgraded to a Union Territory.
He also flagged the lack of control over key administrative levers. “The biggest control a Chief Minister has over officers is through transfers. That power has been taken away in the case of IAS and IPS officers. So they listen to me only to some extent,” Omar said. He added that he is not even invited to high-level security review meetings, an omission he called symbolic of the shrinking space for elected leadership in the current governance structure.
While making a strong case for the restoration of statehood, Omar differentiated between territories where Legislative Assemblies may be impractical and those where they are both necessary and just. “There are places like Lakshadweep and Daman and Diu where an Assembly may not be feasible due to size or geography. But Jammu and Kashmir is not one of those places. Here, if you allow a government to form, then you must allow it to function. Not tie its hands behind its back,” he argued.
On the contentious removal of Article 370, Omar said it had yielded no concrete benefit. “I asked this exact question to my BJP friends during the budget session in Jammu in March: Tell me — what is the one thing that has been done in Jammu and Kashmir after August 5, 2019, that could not have been done before that date? I am still waiting for an answer,” he said.
Discussing the recent terror strike in Baisaran near Pahalgam, the Chief Minister said the attack, and Pakistan’s reaction to it, was a calculated move to incite communal conflict. “It’s not possible to deploy forces at every location. The attack on Baisaran and Pakistan’s retaliatory operation — both were attempts to incite religious conflict here,” he said.
In a lighter moment, Omar also took a swipe at former US President Donald Trump over his feud with Elon Musk. “Trump, who cannot remain loyal even to his own friends, how can we expect him to stay loyal to us?” he quipped, referring to Washington’s shifting global alliances.
However, Omar’s interview drew immediate fire from People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone, who launched one of his harshest political broadsides yet. In a blistering post on social media, Lone accused Omar of betraying his pre-election positions and behaving like a “right-wing radical BJP spokesperson.”
Watched some shots of CM sahib with Kapil Sibal today.
Was squirming with embarrassment. CM sahib these days comes across as a right wing radical BJP spokesperson. Like the English speaking Congress rebel, CM sahib seems more BJP than BJP these days.
CM sahib says can’t do…
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) June 11, 2025
“Watched some shots of CM sahib with Kapil Sibal today. Was squirming with embarrassment,” Lone wrote, questioning Omar’s shift from advocating dialogue with Pakistan to sounding, in his words, “more BJP than BJP.” He termed Omar’s approach a case of “chronic political bipolarity,” mocking his current claims of helplessness while accusing him of having a “covert understanding” with Delhi.
Lone also criticised the Chief Minister’s refusal to back a special Assembly session on the controversial Operation Sindoor, launched in the wake of terror threats. “Donning yet again the role of a loyal BJP spokesperson, CM sahib does not support a special session,” he said. He further accused Omar of administrative inefficiency, alleging a complete lack of creativity. “Never seen an uncreative person as him… Only ideas he seems to have about administrative delivery is power to punish.”
Highlighting what he called a disconnect between promises and delivery, Lone wrote, “CM sahib spoke about statehood apologetically. Blames dual control for inefficiency. But what about the promises in his hand? Start with free electricity, free gas cylinders, making daily wagers permanent.”
The People’s Conference leader ended his remarks with a sharp jab at Omar’s political history: “Looking forward to the day when CM sahib formally allies with the BJP. Why have this virginal pretence when the political marriage was solemnised in the NDA-1 regime, three decades back?”
Meanwhile, Omar tweeted to his followers: “Had a very engaging conversation with @KapilSibal for the most recent episode of #DilseWithKapilSibal.”
Had a very engaging conversation with @KapilSibal for the most recent episode of #DilseWithKapilSibal. https://t.co/FBitMnRqnX
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 11, 2025
