Omar Abdullah Tables J&K Statehood Resolution, BJP Protests In Assembly

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah introduced an Assembly resolution calling for full statehood to be restored to Jammu and Kashmir, a move that drew BJP protests and led the Speaker to adjourn the House. The BJP stated that the wording was objectionable because it referred to an autonomy resolution adopted by the J&K Assembly on 26 June 2000.

The motion read: “In addition to the resolutions passed by this House on 26 June 2000 and 6 November 2024, the House calls upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and resolves that this resolution be forwarded to the Government of India.”

The reference to the earlier resolution widened the dispute, with the BJP treating the move as an autonomy issue rather than a narrow statehood demand. Omar said the point was only to push New Delhi to restore statehood.

Statehood Push Explained

For nearly two years, Abdullah has been pressing the Centre on the statehood issue. Soon after he took office, his Cabinet passed a resolution seeking the same outcome, and NC legislators said the government’s inaction pushed the party to take the matter to the Assembly.

He tied the demand to public backing. “Statehood is not about the government or my family, it is about Jammu and Kashmir. That is why we brought it to the House, so that a united voice can go to the Centre for restoration of statehood,” Omar said.

Addressing the House, Abdullah said the motion should be debated and adopted because the lack of statehood was causing “immense suffering” to people in J&K. He said the Centre had promised statehood after delimitation and elections. Delimitation was completed and elections were held in 2024 with heavy participation and no coercion, he said, but the last promise had still not been met.

He described that as an unfulfilled assurance. “We were promised that the restoration of statehood would follow delimitation and elections. Delimitation of constituencies was carried out. Elections were held and a large number of people took part in them (in 2024). People voted without any coercion. But the third step of the promise, the restoration of statehood was not fulfilled,” Omar said.

Abdullah also said the commitment had been made by the Government of India and restated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function he attended with J&K Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma. He said Modi had called restoration of statehood his promise.

BJP Sparks Chaos

The House quickly descended into disorder. After Abdullah introduced the motion, BJP lawmakers raised slogans and tore up copies of it. Congress legislators backed the resolution and moved toward the well of the House to confront BJP members.

The BJP’s objection centered on the wording. It stated that a statehood resolution should not have carried a reference to the earlier autonomy resolution. As the shouting escalated, some NC legislators held up papers saying “we want autonomy of J&K be restored.” Others demanded restoration of Article 370.

Later, Abdullah told reporters that the BJP was voting on something narrower than it claimed. “We are not asking them to vote on Article 370, special status or autonomy. Those resolutions have already been passed by this House,” Omar later told reporters.

He rejected the BJP’s allegation that the motion was anti-national. “how can demanding statehood be anti-national? What is anti-national about it? We have not brought a resolution on autonomy. Those resolutions have already been passed by the House. They remain the property of the House. We are not touching them. This new resolution is only about restoring statehood and does not dilute the earlier resolutions,” he said.

Abdullah also said the BJP could bring its own motion if it wanted to replace or reject the earlier Assembly resolutions. “We are a democracy,” he said.

Earlier Resolutions

Abdullah said he had referred to the earlier resolutions on purpose. He said the aim was to make sure that “our friends” — an indirect reference to the PDP — could not claim that “we have given up on them.”

He said the new motion was meant to sit alongside the previous Assembly positions, not to displace them. “Those resolutions remain in place. This House owns them. This resolution neither replaces nor ignores them. It is an addition to them,” he said.

He also argued that J&K should not receive a watered-down version of statehood. “We do not want a half state, a quarter state or a state without powers over law and order. We were promised full statehood and full statehood is what we seek,” he said.

Abdullah said the objective was simple. “We wanted a resolution to be passed by the Assembly and sent to the Government of India stating that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood should be restored immediately,” he said.

He linked the demand to how little room the elected government had over key institutions and projects. Abdullah cited the Power Development Corporation and AIIMS-related matters. “As chief minister and power minister, I do not receive the files of the J&K State Power Development Corporation. If the elected government is responsible for everything other than security, law and order, and services matters, then why are institutions like the State Power Development Corporation or health institutions like SKIMS outside its control,” Abdullah said.

He repeated that the promise remained unfulfilled even after elections. “elections were held almost two years ago and a promise was made to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar said.