Omar Abdullah: Foolish to seek Article 370 restoration from Modi govt; statehood for J&K immediate priority

Omar Abdullah prioritises restoring statehood for Jammu and Kashmir and expresses confidence in Prime Minister Modi's intentions. He acknowledges that the NC's pre-poll promises, including Article 370 restoration, are unlikely to be fulfilled under the current government.

Livemint
Published10 Oct 2024, 06:54 AM IST
Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) President Farooq Abdullah with his son and party Vice President Omar Abdullah during celebrations after the victory of JKNC-Congress alliance in the J&K Assembly elections at their residence, in Srinagar, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (PTI Photo)(PTI10_09_2024_000092A)
Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) President Farooq Abdullah with his son and party Vice President Omar Abdullah during celebrations after the victory of JKNC-Congress alliance in the J&K Assembly elections at their residence, in Srinagar, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (PTI Photo)(PTI10_09_2024_000092A)(PTI)

National Conference (NC) vice president, Omar Abdullah has said that he did not expect restoration of Article 370 from Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the centre. The immediate priority of the next NC-Congress government in the Union Territory would be restoration of statehood, Omar said.

The restoration of special status was one of the key pre-poll manifesto promises of NC, which eventually ended up winning elections in the Union Territory, along with its alliance partner, the Congress.

Also Read | Omar Abdullah: How he went from being an Oberoi employee to J&K’s ‘next’ CM

“None of us are foolish enough, not did we try and convince the voters that we were going to work on our 370 agenda with this current (Modi) government in Delhi. We know that you are not going to get it back from the government that took it away. So set that aside for now,” Abdullah told a TV channel.

Modi government at the Centre abrogated Article 370, that have special status to Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. The government also downgraded the erstwhile state into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Restoring Artilce 370 

In its assembly election manifesto released on August 19, 2024, the National Conference promised 12 guarantees, including restoration of Article 370 and 35 A, repeal of the Public Safety Act (PSA), the release of political prisoners, one lakh job creation, and restoration of the India-Pakistan dialogue.

The Congress party, the NC alliance partner in the elections, however, did not make any pre-poll promises in its separate manifesto. The NC-Congress alliance won the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections by winning 49 seats in the 90-member house in the results declared on Tuesday. While the NC bagged 42 seats, the Congress won six seats. One seat was bagged by CPI-M.

Also Read | Omar Abdullah, the reluctant candidate now set to be J&K’s first CM post Art 370

“Our immediate priority is to work with the government in Delhi to get statehood back for Jammu and Kashmir. Now in that respect, I believe that the Prime Minister is an hounarable man. He has promised people of Jammu and Kashmir that statehood will be restored… And therefore once the government is formed, I would like to believe that the Chief Minister will come to Delhi, talk to the PM and other and establish a good working relationship,” Omar said, adding that a ‘hostile’ relationship is not in the interest of Jammu and Kashmir and that of the Union government.

None of us are foolish enough...to work on our 370 agenda with this current (Modi) government in Delhi.

Abdullah, who won both the Budgam and Ganderbal seat, is in all likelihood to be the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir for the second time. The party MLAs are meeting on Thursday to pick a leader to be the CM.

 

Key Takeaways
  • Omar Abdullah highlights the urgent need for statehood restoration over the contentious Article 370.
  • The National Conference’s election manifesto reflects key promises aimed at addressing local governance and political concerns.
  • A cooperative approach with the central government is deemed essential for Jammu and Kashmir’s interests.

Catch all the live action on Elections and get exclusive coverage on Assembly Election Results 2024 with Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

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First Published:10 Oct 2024, 06:54 AM IST
Business NewsElectionsOmar Abdullah: Foolish to seek Article 370 restoration from Modi govt; statehood for J&K immediate priority

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