SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said he would not hesitate to recommend the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly if that becomes a condition for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Gulmarg, Omar reiterated that statehood was the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not a favour from the Centre. “If the restoration of statehood requires fresh elections, let them do it. The day statehood is restored, the very next day I will write to the Lieutenant Governor recommending dissolution of the Assembly,” he said. “Don’t try to scare us with such reports. We are not in it for the chair. This Assembly is not above the will of the people.”
His remarks come days after media reports suggested that the Government of India may consider restoring statehood, but only if fresh elections are held under the re-established state structure. Omar dismissed such narratives as attempts to intimidate legislators into silence. “I know who is planting these stories to create fear that if MLAs press for statehood, the Assembly will be dissolved. That won’t work. No legislator here is afraid,” he added.
Omar emphasised that the demand for statehood was not for the benefit of politicians but for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “This is not about Farooq sahib or me. This is about the rights of the people, about their dignity and identity,” he said.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah also weighed in on the issue over the weekend, alleging that the Centre’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood in August 2019 had communal undertones. “Was it because we were a Muslim-majority state?” he asked while speaking in South Kashmir. He further warned that if there is prolonged delay in restoring statehood, his party will move the Supreme Court.
Jammu and Kashmir lost its statehood following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, and was bifurcated into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir (with legislature) and Ladakh (without legislature). In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the Centre’s move but also directed that statehood be restored “at the earliest”.
It was recently reported that the Centre is not opposed to restoring statehood but may insist on fresh elections under the new state framework. That could mean either waiting for the current Assembly to complete its term or dissolving it for fresh polls once the new state structure is put in place. Sources said the government has sought legal opinion on this as well. However, the ruling JKNC said they have not received any communication from the central government in this regard.
