Omar Abdullah Reacts To Statehood Buzz, High-Profile 'Meetings' 'Still Optimistic About Something Positive For J-K'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said he is optimistic about 'something positive' for the Union Territory during the ongoing parliament session, but not on Tuesday, amid buzz over the centre planning something on the Jammu and Kashmir 'statehood'.

The National Conference leader's remarks came on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5. Abdullah clarified that he had no meeting or conversation with the people in Delhi, and his statement is based on his "gut feeling".

Also Read | Amid J-K statehood buzz, Farooq Abdullah reminds Modi Govt of its promise

“I've heard every possible permutation & combination about what to expect in J&K tomorrow (August 5) so let me stick my neck out and say nothing will happen tomorrow - fortunately nothing bad will happen but unfortunately nothing positive will happen either,” Abdullah said in a post on X on Monday evening.

The speculation about 'something' happening on August 5 was fuelled by the government's reported meetings on Monday. Though there was no official word on any meetings, some reports suggested Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval , Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Kumar Deka, and Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Monday.

High-Profile Meetings

Another meeting of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs is called for today. What sparked the buzz were back-to-back separate meetings on Sunday between President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah . No official reasons for the meetings were known. The meetings come in the backdrop of the upcoming elections to elect a new Vice President after Jagdeep Dhankhar's surprise resignation from the post on July 21.

"I'm still optimistic about something positive for J&K in this monsoon session of Parliament but not tomorrow. And no, I haven't had any meetings or conversations with people in Delhi. This is just a gut feeling. Let's see this time tomorrow," Abdullah wrote in the post on X.

Statehood restoration buzz

The post is seen as an attempt by the chief minister to put at rest speculation on social media about a fresh reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir .

Also Read | 'None of us wants war,' Omar Abdullah hails Operation Sindoor

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 on August 5, 2019. Tuesday will be the sixth anniversary of the decision. Incidentally, the Parliament session is also on.

"There is a lot of speculation about what may be announced tomorrow (5th Aug). The peace in Kashmir has come about at a great cost of human lives of security forces personnel and innocent civilians," Army veteran KJS Dhillon said in one of the posts on X.

I'm still optimistic about something positive for J&K in this monsoon session of Parliament but not tomorrow.

"Let the whole thing settle down. Let's not jump the gun," he said.

Omar has long demanded statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, reminding the Union government of its promise before assembly elections held last year. On 6 June, Omar Abdullah raised the issue of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at an event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the maiden train to Kashmir.

On 13 January 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi , speaking in Jammu and Kashmir, responded to Omar Abdullah's reminder to fulfil his promise to restore statehood to the union territory.“The right things are going to happen at the right time,” Modi said.

Also Read | Amid J-K statehood buzz, Farooq Abdullah reminds Modi Govt of its promise

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on 16 July wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi , urging the government to bring forward legislation to grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

“We urge upon the Government to bring forward legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir ,” read the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the two Congress leaders.

(With agency inputs)

Key Takeaways

• Omar Abdullah remains cautiously optimistic about future developments for Jammu and Kashmir.
• Speculation around statehood discussions is heightened due to recent high-profile meetings in Delhi.
• The sixth anniversary of Article 370's abrogation is a significant date for potential announcements.

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