Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday expressed concern that an impression is growing in the Union Territory that its statehood may not be restored because the BJP failed to win the assembly elections last year.
He noted that the BJP is the only party opposing the restoration of statehood. “Sometimes it seems as if the people of Jammu and Kashmir will be denied statehood simply because the BJP lost the elections. This is unfair, as nowhere was it stated that statehood would depend on any party’s victory,” Abdullah told reporters outside his private office.
“If there is opposition to restoring statehood, it is coming solely from the BJP,” he added.
Abdullah described the lack of statehood as the biggest challenge for his 11-month-old government. “As promised to the people and communicated to the Supreme Court, we expected the process to follow three steps: delimitation, elections, and then restoration of statehood,” he said.
“The delimitation has been completed, elections have been held, and people participated enthusiastically. It was unfortunate for the BJP that they did not win, but the people should not be punished for that,” he emphasized.
On the issue of tourism in Kashmir, Abdullah acknowledged that stakeholders are dissatisfied. “We have made efforts to revive tourism in the Valley. While the turnout of tourists was not as high as we hoped, we will continue our initiatives,” he said.
Regarding the controversy over the ‘I Love Muhammad’ campaign, Abdullah condemned the arrests, calling them the actions of “a mentally sick person.” “Who can take offense at these three words? I fail to see how this could be grounds for arrest,” he said, urging the courts to resolve the matter promptly.
He added that even if the campaign is associated with Islam, writing ‘I Love Muhammad’ cannot be illegal. “Do people of other religions not praise their holy figures? Travel outside Kashmir, and you’ll see vehicles with images of deities. If that is not illegal, why should this be?” he questioned.
