Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah meets PM Modi in Delhi
J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and handed over a resolution seeking early restoration of statehood to the union territory, officials said.
Omar Abdullah in his first cabinet meeting, last week, had passed a resolution on restoration of J&K’s statehood. Omar who travelled to New Delhi on Wednesday has already met Union home minister Amit Shah and defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
“Visited honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji in New Delhi to present a cabinet resolution advocating for the reinstatement of Jammu and Kashmir’s empowered statehood. The resolution underscores the J&K government’s dedication to safeguarding the identity and constitutional rights of the region’s residents,” J&K chief minister Omar wrote on his Instagram while sharing his picture with Prime Minister Modi.
Jammu & Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha had cleared a resolution passed by chief minister Omar Abdullah-led cabinet urging the Centre to restore the statehood of the union territory.
The Union government in August 2019 abrogated Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution of India which provided special status to J&K. The Centre also bifurcated the erstwhile state into two UTs –J&K and Ladakh. The government’s decision to revoke Article 370 was solidified by the Supreme Court, which on December 11, 2023, upheld the move.
Ahead of the first elections in the union territory in a decade, Omar Abdullah’s National Conference manifesto had promised that the J&K legislative assembly, in its first list of business after elections, will pass a resolution against the Centre’s August 5, 2019 decision to strip the region of its statehood and special status.