Jammu: Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale on Sunday said a decision on restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir could be taken in the coming days, reiterating the Centre’s assurance on the issue while maintaining that the timeline rests with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“After the abrogation of Article 370, Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji had given this assurance that statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will be restored. And it can definitely be decided after a few days,” Athawale told reporters in Srinagar.
Responding to questions about the demand for statehood by the ruling National Conference government, Athawale said the Centre would consider the issue but stopped short of committing to any specific date.
“Our government is definitely going to think about it. If you look at Amit Shah’s speech, when he announced UT for J&K, the government said that we will do it when the time comes,” he said.
Athawale said he could not predict when the decision would be taken, adding that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister would determine the timing. He reiterated that the Centre had promised to restore statehood and said he would convey the sentiments of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the two leaders after returning to Delhi.
“Modi ji and Amit Shah ji have promised to restore statehood at an appropriate time. Only they know when it will happen. When I go back to Delhi, I will convey to them the sentiments of the people of Jammu and Kashmir on this issue,” he said.
The minister also highlighted the Centre’s development initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir, citing road infrastructure, national highways, tunnels and railway connectivity as areas where work was being undertaken.
He said the security situation had improved since the abrogation of Article 370, although he alleged that Pakistan continued to encourage violence.
Referring to the Pahalgam terror attack last year, which killed 26 people, including tourists and a local resident, Athawale said India did not want a conflict with Pakistan and urged Islamabad to stop supporting terrorism and focus on peaceful relations.
On the allegations of deliberate voter deletions raised by opposition leaders, Athawale backed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and said he did not need to resign over the “vote chori” allegations.
He claimed that six crore of the 13 crore voter deletions cited in the controversy were attributable to changes in residence for various reasons. He also rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of electoral malpractice, countering that similar accusations could be levelled against Congress leaders.
Defending the police action against protesters in Delhi on Saturday, Athawale said peaceful protest was a democratic right but those resorting to violence would face legal consequences.
He also questioned the participation of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in the protests, arguing that the issue behind its formation had already been addressed following the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper-leak controversy.
Athawale further claimed that people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were unhappy with Pakistan’s administration and said Islamabad should prioritise economic development and public welfare over hostility towards India.
