Omar Abdullah optimistic about early restoration of statehood to J&K

PTI Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the first task of his government will be to become the voice of the people and expressed optimism that Jammu and Kashmir will not remain a Union territory for a long time and regain full statehood soon. Hours before taking oath of office, the National Conference leader also told PTI Videos that all his well with the alliance partner Congress and that his party is in talks with the grand old party and also with his own team on filling ministerial vacancies. Stressing that his government has a responsibility towards the people, he said, “We have the mandate from the people to get to work to resolve their problems and that is what we aim to do from day one”. On speculation of a rift between National Conference and its coalition partner Congress, Omar quipped “No, why is not all well. If all is not well, why (Mallikarjun) Kharge (Congress president), Rahul (Gandhi) and other senior leaders of Congress would be coming here. Their presence here is indicative of the fact that the alliance is strong, and we will work for the people (of J&K).”

Replying to a question about non-inclusion of any Congress MLA in his cabinet, he said the national party is not out of the cabinet. “It is for the Congress to decide. We have been in discussions with them. Principally around the fact that as a UT with a unicameral house, we don’t have the upper house. Therefore, the size of the government is severely restricted. Gone are the days when you would see 40 or 45 ministers,” he said while recalling that all MLAs in the Mufti Sayeed government had ministerial ranks. “It is not the case this time. So I will not be filling all nine vacancies in the council of ministers… So not all vacancies would be filled, some vacancies would be kept to be filled going ahead as I said we are in talks with Congress but also from within my own team. Let us see how we go,” Abdullah said. The Congress on Wednesday said it has decided not to join the council of ministers in the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir government as the party was “unhappy” that statehood was not restored to the Union territory. Abdullah noted that J-K is without an elected government since 2018 so it has been a long gap without democracy and people have felt “voiceless”. “I think the first thing obviously this government has to do is to be the voice of the people of J-K. They must feel a part of this government, they must feel that they have a voice and we must also ensure that they are heard.

We cannot suppress their voice,” the NC leader said. He also said that the people’s voice gets magnified through the press and you cannot have a democracy without having a functional press. “A strong democracy requires a strong institution of press and I am committed to that,” he said. On the challenges ahead, he said it is a mix and obviously, governing Jammu and Kashmir comes with its own challenges. “This is also an incredible opportunity for a generational shift in government, for a new team to come and we are UT therefore this is a chance to figure out how it works.