Srinagar, Sep 25: J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s resolution seeking the “immediate and urgent” restoration of full statehood on Friday reopened an old political faultline in the Legislative Assembly, with the BJP objecting to a reference to the 2000 autonomy resolution, storming the Well and forcing repeated adjournments before the House was finally adjourned till Monday.
Moved by Omar after Question Hour, the resolution called upon the Government of India to restore full statehood to J&K and forward the resolution to the Centre.
“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,” reads the resolution.
While the immediate demand was for restoration of statehood, the reference to the June 26, 2000 resolution — passed during the previous National Conference government seeking greater autonomy for J&K became the flashpoint for the BJP.
BJP members objected to the reference and entered the Well of the House, raising slogans and protesting against any attempt to bring the autonomy issue into the discussion. The protests disrupted proceedings and copies of the resolution were torn amid the uproar. Led by Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, BJP members objected to mentioning of autonomy in the resolution and also the reference of previous resolutions including special status passed by the J&K Assembly.
The Speaker initially adjourned the House for 30 minutes in an attempt to restore order. When proceedings resumed, the confrontation continued, with BJP members maintaining their opposition to the resolution in its present form. The continued ruckus eventually forced Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to adjourn the House till Monday, leaving the substantive debate on the statehood resolution pending.
‘We want full statehood’
Speaking to reporters after the disruption, Omar said the resolution was specifically about restoration of statehood and argued that the reference to earlier resolutions did not change the nature of the fresh demand. The Chief Minister said J&K had been promised restoration of statehood following delimitation and elections and that his government had repeatedly reminded the Centre of the commitment.
“The people of J&K had participated in the electoral process with the expectation that statehood would follow and questioned why the promise had not yet been fulfilled,” he said. “My government was seeking restoration of the entire erstwhile state and not a diluted arrangement.”
Omar said: “We want full statehood. We have been promised full statehood and we want full statehood.” He stressed that the demand was neither for “half” nor “quarter” statehood.
Taking a swipe at the BJP’s opposition to the resolution, Omar said the party should have allowed a debate in the House and participated in the voting process. He challenged the BJP to identify any language in the resolution that was against the national interest and argued that the House should be allowed to debate the demand before members took a position. Omar also said the reference to the earlier resolutions did not amount to bringing a fresh autonomy resolution before the House, maintaining that the new resolution had a specific and separate objective — restoration of statehood. “Let BJP show me a single word which is anti-national in the resolution,” he said. The Chief Minister’s comments came as the BJP maintained that the reference to the 2000 autonomy resolution could not be treated as incidental and accused the ruling camp of trying to bring issues relating to autonomy and the pre-1953 constitutional arrangement into the Assembly.
‘NC: Debate will show who backs statehood’
The National Conference defended the wording of the resolution, saying that the reference to previous resolutions should not be confused with the immediate demand for statehood.
NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq said the resolution before the House was separate from the earlier resolutions and should be considered on its own merit. “Statehood resolution, with reference to earlier resolutions, is separate resolution on statehood. We expected everyone to support it. Debate will show who wants statehood and who does not,” Sadiq said.
‘PDP supports resolution, sets rider’
The PDP, while supporting the statehood demand, sought amendments to the resolution. PDP MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi said the text should also refer to restoration of Article 370 and 35-A and take a position on the developments of August 5, 2019. “We support National Conference’s statehood resolution but want it amended. It is weak as it does not mention restoration of Article 370 and 35-A or condemn what BJP and Delhi did on August 5, 2019,” Mehdi said.
‘BJP rejects resolution, cites autonomy, past resolutions’
The BJP, however, rejected the framing of the issue as merely one of statehood and alleged that the NC-Congress position was linked to demands for autonomy and the pre-1953 arrangement. BJP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia said the issues being raised by the ruling parties could not be discussed in the Assembly in the manner being suggested. “National Conference and Congress do not want restoration of statehood in J&K. They are seeking statehood with autonomy and pre-1953 status, which cannot be discussed in this Assembly after the Reorganisation Act,” Mankotia said. BJP MLA Shagun Parihar also targeted Omar over the references to autonomy and self-rule. “CM Omar Abdullah does not want restoration of J&K statehood. That is why he talks about self-rule and autonomy and wants to divert attention from the issue,” Parihar said. The exchange exposed the sharply different positions among the parties over what should accompany or follow the restoration of statehood. For the NC, the resolution is a direct demand for restoration of full statehood and a reminder to the Centre of its stated commitment. The PDP wants the text to encompass the constitutional changes of 2019, while the BJP has objected to the autonomy reference and said the Assembly cannot reopen questions relating to the pre-2019 constitutional arrangement. With the House adjourned until Monday amid the BJP ruckus, the statehood resolution is now set to return to the Assembly against the backdrop of a wider political dispute over statehood, autonomy and the constitutional changes of August 2019.
