CM optimistic about early restoration of J&K statehood

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the first task of his government will be to become the voice of the people and expressed optimism that Jammu and Kashmir will not remain a Union territory for a long time and regain full statehood soon.

Stressing that his government has a responsibility towards the people, he said, “We have the mandate from the people to get to work to resolve their problems and that is what we aim to do from day one”.

Abdullah noted that J&K is without an elected government since 2018 so it has been a long gap without democracy and people have felt “voiceless”.

“I think the first thing obviously this government has to do is to be the voice of the people of J&K. They must feel a part of this government, they must feel that they have a voice and we must also ensure that they are heard. We cannot suppress their voice,” the NC leader said.

He also said that the people’s voice gets magnified through the press and you cannot have a democracy without having a functional press. “A strong democracy requires a strong institution of press and I am committed to that,” he said.

On the challenges ahead, he said it is a mix and obviously, governing Jammu and Kashmir comes with its own challenges. “This is also an incredible opportunity for a generational shift in government, for a new team to come and we are UT therefore this is a chance to figure out how it works. This is a new mandate from the people so yes there are a lot of challenges but it also is an incredible opportunity, it will be a crime to allow this opportunity to go to waste,” he said.

On former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressing his willingness to share his experience with him on governing a ‘half-state’ like Delhi, Abdullah said “I have a lot of lessons to learn. I learnt a lot of lessons in six years, made some mistakes and intend not to repeat those mistakes again because it is only a fool who keeps repeating the same mistakes again and again”.

“I definitely am not doing that. But nobody is perfect so every day is an opportunity to learn. So yes, one will learn from everybody who has experience governing this country. But again I make the point I sincerely believe that we will not be a UT for a long time. Therefore, this so called half state is very much a temporary phase and we will be a full state soon,” he said.

Will become voice of people

• CM Omar Abdullah said the first task of his government will be to become the voice of the people and expressed optimism that J&K will not remain a Union territory for a long time and regain full statehood
• He also said that the people’s voice gets magnified through the press and you cannot have a democracy without having a functional press

Resolve problems

We have the mandate from the people to get to work to resolve their problems and that is what we aim to do from day one. — Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, J&K