Srinagar 30 September :- The matter of the revival of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood has gained momentum, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stating on Tuesday that he is not going to compromise on the issue.
In his address to a public rally in Anantnag, the Chief Minister reaffirmed that his government’s fight would continue to be rooted in the ideologies of democracy and non-violence. He declared his willingness to take up the battle for the restoration of the state’s status by democratic and peaceful means but ensured that he would not let Kashmir burn again, reaffirming that the valley’s families have already suffered enough and he does not want that cycle of grief to repeat itself.
In a firm political position, Abdullah strongly ruled out the possibility of a political understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to secure this objective. He threw a defiant challenge, declaring that if bringing the BJP into the government would mean statehood, then his resignation should be accepted and another member elected the Chief Minister, as he would not yield to a compromise.
He remembered that after the last assembly elections, he also had the possibility of joining hands with the BJP to form a government, as Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti did in 2015 and 2016. Although the alliance could have resulted in an earlier return of statehood, he declared he took a different route to prevent the BJP from coming to power in Jammu and Kashmir, even if it took longer.
Omar Abdullah also reminded the masses that Ladakh, which initially embraced the abolition of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, has now realized that it was the constitutional shields which had protected their interests. He reasserted his stance that what had happened on August 5, 2019, was wrong.
In conclusion of his speech, he vowed that his government’s struggle for statehood will go on unabatedly till it is won, but without compromising its fundamental principles of democratic ideals and non-violence.