With PM Modi on stage, Omar Abdullah rakes up J-K statehood pitch – 'L-G was promoted, I got demoted '

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah raked up the issue of restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the flagging off of the maiden train to Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. on June 6 in Katra, the pilgrim town in Jammu.

“There are four persons on this stage who were present at the inauguration of the Katra railway station (in 2014). You had just won the election, becoming the Prime Minister for the first time. MoS in PMO Jitendra Singh was present then, and our LG Manoj Sinha sahib was MoS Railways, and I was here as chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar said.

Earlier, Modi laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over ₹46,000 crore at Katra, Jammu. The PM also inaugurated Chenab bridge – world’s highest railway arch bridge and Anji bridge – India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge. Modi also flagged off two Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar too.

"If you see, by the blessings of Mata (Vaishno Devi) Sinhaji has got a promotion (LG now) and I had a demotion. I was chief minister of a state and now I am a CM of the UT. However, I believe that it will not take long to rectify it .... Jammu and Kashmir will again get the statehood under your watch only," Abdullah said.

Two UTs after scrapping Article 370

The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Omar Abdullah has been long demanding statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, something that Union government has also promised.

Abdullah said many people have dreamt of seeing a train chugging into Kashmir and that he was in class 8th when he heard of this project for the first time.

"Even the British had dreamt of connecting Kashmir by train but they did not succeed. Their plan was to bring rail from Uri, along the banks of Jhelum, to connect with the country. What the British could not achieve has happened at your (Modi's) hands and Kashmir has been connected to the rest of the country," he added.

Abdullah paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for declaring the train to Kashmir a project of national importance.

"It will be a grave mistake if I do not thank former PM Vajpayee. This project was undoubtedly started in 1983-84.... but it was completed only after Vajpayee declared it a project of national importance and made provisions in the budget," he said.

(With PTI inputs)