• Source:ANI
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday welcomed the Opposition's strong pitch for the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory, reiterating that the demand is neither new nor unjustified. The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister was referring to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which the latter urged the government to bring forward legislation to grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Addressing the reporters, Abdullah said, "It's a good thing; we've been waiting for this day, the day when our voice will be raised strongly in Parliament and in Delhi from the opposition's side. I am grateful to Kharge ji and Rahul Gandhi ji for raising the issue of the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood along with other markers." The restoration of statehood has been a key demand from the regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories in August 2019.

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Abdullah pointed out that the statehood assurance had been reiterated in various forums, including parliamentary debates, judicial proceedings, and public statements. He said, "We are not demanding anything that was not already promised to us -- whether inside Parliament, outside of it, in the Supreme Court, or at public events. Time and again, we've been told that Jammu and Kashmir will be granted statehood at an appropriate time."

Referring to the Supreme Court's judgment upholding the abrogation of Article 370, Abdullah stated that the bench had directed the Centre to restore statehood "as soon as possible." "If it were truly 'as soon as possible,' it would have already happened by now." Earlier in the day, in a letter to the PM, Rahul Gandhi wrote, "We urge upon the Government to bring forward legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir."

Rahul Gandhi also noted that PM Modi had already reiterated the government's commitment to restoring statehood on multiple occasions. "Your good self has, on multiple occasions, personally reiterated the government's commitment to restoring statehood. In your interview in Bhubaneswar on 19 May 2024, you stated: "The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it."

Again, while addressing a rally in Srinagar on 19 September 2024, you reaffirmed: "We have said in Parliament that we will restore the region's statehood," Congress MP said. Emphasising the demand for statehood by Jammu and Kashmir people, LoP said that this is the first time a state has been downgraded to a Union Territory.

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"For the past five years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of full statehood. This demand is both legitimate and firmly grounded in their constitutional and democratic rights," he said. "This is the first time a full-fledged state has been downgraded to a Union Territory following its bifurcation," he added.

In August 2019, the Central Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, repealed Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, effectively ending the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.