"BJP should be honest": Omar Abdullah reiterates statehood demand for J-K

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 19 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the Centre-led BJP government should categorically state that the restoration of the statehood is dependent on their coming to power in the Union Territory.

"The BJP, in its manifesto or in its promises to Parliament and to the Supreme Court, never said that statehood is dependent on the BJP coming to power in Jammu and Kashmir. If that is the case, I think the BJP should be honest that so long as there is a non-BJP government, you will not get statehood,” Abdullah said while addressing a press conference here.

Taking a dig at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its alliance with the BJP in 2015, the CM ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the ruling party.

“However, tying up with the BJP or an alliance with the BJP is out of the question. We've already seen how much that has destroyed Jammu and Kashmir. An unnecessary alliance between the PDP and the BJP was born in 2015. We are still suffering the aftereffects of that. I have no intention of repeating mistakes that other people have made,” Abdullah said.

Speaking about the promises made in the National Conference’s (NC) manifesto earlier, Abdullah asserted that the elected government must have control over state subjects, including law and order and security, for it to remove the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978. 

"We said in the manifesto that we would remove the Public Safety and Security Act (PSA) from Jammu and Kashmir. To remove it, we must have statehood. Security, law and order, all these things should be under the control of the elected government. The day these things are ours, I won't even wait for the assembly session. We will remove the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) through an ordinance,” he added.

Following the first year anniversary of the National Conference (NC) government in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, CM Omar Abdullah had asserted that the solution to all of Jammu and Kashmir's problems lies in restoring statehood. (ANI)