Jammu: The political battle over the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood intensified on Saturday, with Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma accusing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of raising the issue for the interests of the Abdullah family rather than for the people of the Union Territory.
Sharma said the demand for statehood was being used by the National Conference (NC) to divert attention from what he described as the government’s failures on governance and unfulfilled election promises.
“The issue of statehood has always been the BJP’s agenda and not that of the National Conference,” Sharma said, adding that the BJP had committed to restoring statehood to the people of Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time.
His remarks came ahead of the NC’s proposed July 20 protest in Delhi, where party leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah, are expected to raise the demand for restoration of full statehood.
Targeting the NC government, Sharma alleged that people were still facing problems related to electricity, drinking water, roads, education and healthcare, while the administration had failed to deliver on promises made during the 2024 Assembly elections.
He said the NC had shifted the focus to statehood after failing on governance issues.
“The Abdullah family has once again chosen to mislead the people by shifting the debate to statehood,” Sharma said.
On the security situation, Sharma defended the Centre’s decision to retain control over law and order, saying the existing arrangement had ensured peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir.
He claimed that there had been no civilian killings in the Union Territory in the last one-and-a-half to two years and no local youth had joined terrorist ranks during the same period.
Sharma alleged that while attempts of cross-border infiltration continued, the local support network for terrorism had weakened significantly.
He argued that law and order should remain with the Centre until terrorism is completely eliminated and security conditions improve further.
Reiterating the BJP’s stand, Sharma said the party remains committed to restoring statehood but the decision would be taken keeping in view national interest and the security situation.
The remarks add a fresh political dimension to the ongoing statehood debate, with the NC preparing for a major protest in Delhi and the BJP maintaining that restoration will happen at an appropriate time.
