'Statehood no excuse for not working,' says LG Sinha; 'How long must we wait?' asks Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said the elected government must not use the absence of statehood as an "excuse" for inaction, drawing a sharp response from chief minister Omar Abdullah, who asserted that his administration was performing its duties despite “hurdles” created by the Centre.

Speaking at the Union Territory’s Foundation Day event at the SKICC in Srinagar, Sinha maintained that the elected government has “all the powers” needed to function effectively. He reiterated Union home minister Amit Shah’s statement in Parliament that the sequence for Jammu and Kashmir’s political roadmap remains “delimitation first, Assembly election second, and restoration of statehood at an appropriate time”.

“But some people have some problems. When the Assembly elections were held, it was clear that the elections were taking place for the UT Assembly. They (the elected government) cannot make the excuse that work cannot be done till statehood is restored,” Sinha said.

Responding at a public function at Eidgah, Abdullah rejected the charge, saying his government was not hiding behind excuses. “We are told to work and not make excuses. We do not make excuses. We are performing despite the hurdles created in our way,” he said.

Listing a series of economic and security challenges, Abdullah pointed to a decline in business activity and tourism following recent militant violence. “Today, the destruction that we are seeing — unemployment, decrease in GST earnings, vacant hotels, restaurants, taxis and houseboats, decrease in the sales of our handicrafts. Why? Because there was an attack in Pahalgam. Who is responsible for the security here? It is not in my hands. Had it been, we would have never allowed the situation to become such in J-K,” he remarked.

Recalling his earlier tenure from 2009 to 2014, Abdullah said, “In my six-year tenure as chief minister, not a single attack on tourists took place. Twenty-six of our guests were killed in Pahalgam, and we are advised to work. We know how to work. You do your job, we will do ours,” he said, referring to the April 22 terrorist attack in the resort town.

The National Conference leader also questioned the Centre’s reluctance to restore statehood, a promise made in both Parliament and the Supreme Court.

“The LG should at least talk about the promise made to the people of J-K in the Supreme Court and Parliament. Why are these people so afraid of statehood? Why don’t they want to let go of power?” Abdullah said.

He noted that nearly all 90 MLAs elected to the assembly had sought votes in the name of statehood. “Tell us how long we should wait? We are told that it will be restored at the appropriate time. Alright, I will wait, but tell me what the scale is to assess the right time. How do we measure the appropriate time?” he asked.

Abdullah said the Centre must clarify the conditions for restoration so the elected government could work toward them. “As a CM, I should know that this is the milestone or goal we have to reach where J-K will get its statehood. We should at least come to know that this is the target,” he added.

With PTI inputs