SRINAGAR: A week after Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated that statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be restored after Assembly elections, National Conference president and three-time former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah Wednesday doubted that statehood would be restored saying they won’t restore statehood and it is all a gimmick.
“They won’t restore statehood. It is all a gimmick,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar when asked whether statehood to J&K would be restored.
“They want to befool us and the whole world. They won’t restore it (the statehood). We are silently watching their orders,” said Abdullah, the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar.
“What can a slave nation do? What can we do? We are watching the spectacle,” Abdullah said.
The NC president said if the Government of India says the situation is normal in J&K and they have done delimitation then what is the reason for not holding an election here. “When polls are being held in other states, why is it not being held in J&K?”
“Why has the Lt Governor been installed here and he has become the master of everything,” he said. “You should think over it.
After the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A and bifurcation of J&K state by the Centre on August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah told the parliament that the statehood would be restored to J&K.
Home Minister Amit Shah in a recent interview stated that the statehood to J&K would be restored after elections. “The process of preparation of voters’ list is nearing completion in the UT and the Election Commission has to take a call on elections,” Shah said.
J&K is under central rule since mid-June 2018, when PDP-BJP coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti collapsed following withdrawal of support by the saffron party. It remained under Governor’s rule and after bifurcation of J&K into two UTs on August 5, 2019, J&K UT is being governed by Lt Governor administration, which is under direct control of the centre.