Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Saturday that he is “seriously considering” joining the petitions filed in the Supreme Court for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory.
“I have had conversations with very senior lawyers in both J&K and Delhi about the possibility of becoming a party to this case, as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, because I don’t think anybody else understands the disadvantages that we are put through by being a Union Territory more than I do,” Omar said at a press conference in Srinagar.
Emphasising that he is uniquely placed to join the legal battle for restoration of statehood, he explained, “I am the only person in the entire country with this experience of having been chief minister of J&K as a state and now as CM of a UT.”
Stating that the issue is being “actively discussed” with a legal team, Omar said that based on their opinion, “there is a possibility that I will make myself a party to this case as CM”.
The case was last heard in the SC on October 10, when the Bench led by Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran gave the Centre four weeks to respond to multiple petitions seeking restoration of statehood. The plea was filed by applicants Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, a teacher, and Khurshid Ahmad Malik, an activist.
In their plea, Bhat and Malik said, “The non-restoration of the status of Statehood of Jammu and Kashmir in a time-bound manner violates the idea of federalism, which forms a part of the basic structure of the Constitution of India.”
Meanwhile, as his government completed a year, Omar ruled out any possibility of allying with the BJP for the restoration of statehood. “Tying up with the BJP or allying with them is out of the question. We have already seen how much that has destroyed J&K. An unnecessary alliance between the PDP and the BJP in 2015 – we are still suffering the aftereffects of that,” he said.
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Adding that he has no intention of repeating mistakes that other people have made, Omar emphasised that “if that is the deal that is to be struck with the people, then the BJP should be honest. The BJP, in its manifesto and its promises to Parliament and to the SC, never said that Statehood is dependent on the BJP coming to power in J&K”.
With bye-elections for one seat each in Kashmir and Jammu on the horizon, the CM said that the National Conference will contest Budgam. He said his party is in conversation with the Congress regarding Nagrota, and “if they wish to contest that seat,” they will have the NC’s support. He added that the Congress has sought directions from its high command to contest the seat.
