With Muted Cabinet Resolution On Statehood, Omar Takes A Cautious Approach With Centre

Omar Abdullah looked relieved when he took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on October 16. After more than two decades in politics, he had for the first time led his party to a commanding victory in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.

The elections, which were fought on the planks of “identity, dignity Article 370”, gave the National Conference 42 out of the 90 seats in the Assembly, a major victory considered parallel to the 1977 one in which Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah returned as Chief Minister after his arrest in 1953 while serving as the Prime Minister of the region.

As Lt Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Abdullah and five Ministers, it was evident from the selection of the Cabinet that the new CM doesn’t want to be seen as being in a confrontation with the Central government.

Deeply aware that Jammu has supported the Bharatiya Janata Party, which won 29 seats in the region, Omar Abdullah allocated Surinder Choudhary from the Nowshera constituency the Deputy Chief Minister portfolio. He also inducted Javed Ahmad Rana and Satish Sharma as Cabinet Ministers, both hailing from Jammu. From Kashmir, he took Sakeena Itoo and Javid Ahmad Dar in his cabinet. In the Cabinet of six, Omar ensured that half of the members represented Jammu, effectively addressing the ongoing debate about regional representation.

In other crucial issues such as restoration of the statehood and Article 370, Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister is taking a cautious path despite fierce opposition from political rivals Peoples Democratic Party, the People's Conference, and Engineer Rashid's Awami Ittehad Party.

On October 17, Omar Abdullah's Cabinet quietly passed a resolution about restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Usually, the decisions of the Cabinet are circulated by the government Department of Information. But the department gave it a miss and the National Conference spokesperson refused to talk about the issue, saying they are not privy to government decisions.

It was only on October 19 that the Department of Information issued a press release saying, “Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet has passed a resolution urging the Union Government to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.”

“The Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday passed a unanimous resolution for restoration of statehood in its original form. The restoration of statehood will be a beginning of a healing process, reclaiming the constitutional rights and protecting the identity of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement reads.

“The Cabinet has authorised the Chief Minister to take up the matter with the Prime Minister and Government of India for restoration of statehood.  Protection of Jammu and Kashmir’s unique identity and constitutional rights of people remains the cornerstone of the newly elected government’s policy,” the resolution says.

The Chief Minister will be proceeding to New Delhi in coming days to meet the Prime Minister and Union Ministers and will take up the issue. The Cabinet also decided to summon the Legislative Assembly at Srinagar on November 4, 2024.

However, the quiet decision of Omar’s cabinet came under strong criticism from various political parties since in its manifesto for the 2024 Assembly elections, the National Conference had stated that “The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, in its first list of business after the elections, will pass a resolution against the Centre’s decision to strip the region of its Statehood and special status.”

First to react was People’s Democratic Party leader Waheed Ur Rehman Parra. “Omar Abdullah's first resolution on statehood is nothing less than ratification of the August 5th, 2019 decision. No resolution on Article 370 and scaling down the demand to mere statehood is a huge setback, especially after seeking votes on the promise of restoring Article 370.”

The PDP won only three seats in the recent elections. Iltija Mufti, the party's prominent figure and vocal opponent of Delhi's Kashmir policy since 2019, suffered a defeat in Bijbehara constituency, which is hometown of Muftis.

Sajad Gani Lone, leader of the Peoples Conference, who won the party's only seat, expressed concerns about the “mysterious and secretive nature” of the statehood resolution passed by the Cabinet. He questioned whether the Chief Secretary of J&K has officially notified it, as required by protocol. In a post on ‘X’, he wrote, “Humbly, I assert that the will of the people of J&K is reflected in the Assembly, not in the Cabinet.” Lone described the Cabinet as a “majoritarian” institution that fails to represent the diverse opinions of the people of J&K.

Engineer Rashid, who had hoped to gain much in the Assembly elections, but only won one seat, said the resolution passed by the Government seeking restoration of statehood only and not Article 370 is “very painful” and a “departure” from the principled stand of the National Conference (NC).

“We want to remind Omar that you contested the election on Articles 370 and 35A and Statehood. So, these reports that only a resolution on Statehood has been passed is very painful. It means a departure from the principled stand of his party,” he said. He said the Resolution on Statehood only makes it clear that Omar is playing into the hands of the BJP.

The National Conference dismissed criticism of its resolution as “propaganda of the BJP proxies". “They are opposing it as they don’t want to do anything that could give relief to the people. Right from the parliamentary elections, they have adopted such tactics,” says NC senior leader Tanvir Sadiq. He said restoration of statehood is just as important as everything else. He argued that the delay by the government Information Department had to do with transition from the long President’s rule to the popular government’s rule. “Things about communication and information would streamline in coming days,” he added. 

While Omar Abdullah may face internal criticism for his approach to avoid resolution on Article 370 and for not condemning the August 5, 2019 decision that split Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, he does not seem to be in a hurry. With a strong mandate behind him and the Congress party providing external support, along with settled representation for Jammu and Hindus, Omar is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a Cabinet resolution advocating for the restoration of statehood.

While both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have previously assured the restoration of statehood for J&K, it remains to be seen how the Modi government will respond to the move and whether the people of Jammu and Kashmir will perceive this approach as a step forward or a collective humiliation as accused by the opposition.

It also remains to be seen how long it will take the NDA government to restore statehood to J&K, if at all. The longer it takes, the more it will add to the political woes of Omar Abdullah and his party. For the time being, Omar and his party can enjoy the moment of political glory with Omar saying "those who didn't even greet him all these six years, all of sudden they are now asking whether I am fine and whether I am sleeping well."