As India celebrated its 79th Independence Day, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah delivered his first I-Day speech after returning to power and following the abrogation of Article 370. In a pointed critique of the Union Territory’s governance structure, Abdullah said the dual system in place was “not for success” but “for failure” and revealed, for the first time, that his government’s decisions were being stalled at the Raj Bhavan.

According to The Indian Express, Abdullah used the platform to announce a signature campaign demanding the restoration of J&K’s statehood. He questioned the prolonged delay in fulfilling the Centre’s assurances, admitting that after hearing the same promises repeatedly, his optimism was beginning to fade.

“Traditionally, terrorism had declined under elected governments in J&K,” Abdullah said. “Today we are told that the elected government can’t be trusted to handle the situation here.” His remarks came a day after the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition on restoring statehood, observed that incidents like the Pahalgam terror attack “could not be ignored” and that “the ground situation” would have to be taken into account.

“I do not want anyone to be the Chief Minister of a Union Territory. I have repeatedly said this system of governance is not for success, it is for failure,” he declared. He went on to say he had not anticipated “so difficult” a situation, where Cabinet decisions were altered without approval, blocked, or left to gather dust. “They would not be approved. They would be locked up somewhere and forgotten.”

On the Pahalgam attack being cited as a reason to withhold statehood, Abdullah said, “I regret what we heard in the Supreme Court… Today we are told that the elected government cannot be trusted to handle the situation here. When did we show that we are not worthy of this trust? Just trust us once. We have not failed before this… Remember that there were elected governments, whether it was my government or before my government… we did not allow such situations to arise.”

ALSO READ: Melania Trump Accuses Biden’s Son Of Defaming Her, Demands Public Apology Over Epstein Allegation

Referring to the Centre’s promise that statehood will be returned in valley, Abdullah said: “Some friends and relatives tell me again and again that something will change this year. ‘This year there will be an announcement, wait for it’. ‘On 15th August, there will be a big announcement from Delhi for Jammu and Kashmir’. Though in reality there was not much hope, when a person listens to something again and again, somewhere, in a small corner of the heart, something gets stuck… And with great impatience, we waited for that speech… waited that, perhaps in a corner of this speech, we will get to hear a big announcement for Jammu and Kashmir. I was even told, ‘Papers are being prepared, now it is just a matter of time’. We waited. It did not happen.”

The Chief Minister admitted that the “ray of light” he once spoke of had dimmed. “The truth is the ray of light has diminished slightly… The reality is that the hope I had a few days ago, perhaps that hope is not there today.”

Abdullah’s remarks come amid criticism from other mainstream parties in the Valley, who accuse the National Conference government of “compromising” with the Centre since returning to power. While he has avoided pressing for the reinstatement of Article 370, Abdullah has pinned hopes on the Centre’s promise to restore statehood. The Modi government has maintained that it remains committed to the move  but has shown little urgency in making it happen.

ALSO READ: 

Farooq Abdullah Vows Vigorous Push for Omar Abdullah’s Statehood Signature Campaign

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday said the signature campaign announced by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood will be run vigorously. "The campaign will be run and it will be a vigorous campaign," Farooq told reporters after attending the Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium here.

The NC chief was responding to a question about the signature campaign announced by the CM in response to the Supreme Court observation that the Pahalgam terror attack should be taken into consideration while deciding on restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

ALSO READ: Bengal Nurse Found Dead In Nursing Home Four Days After Joining; Family Alleges Sexual Assault, Murder

The Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai observed that the "ground situation" in the region must be weighed before restoring its statehood, stressing that "incidents like Pahalgam" cannot be ignored.

Omar Abdullah further said he will launch a massive signature campaign to press the demand for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the eight weeks' time given by the Supreme Court to the Centre to respond to the plea before it.

With Inputs from PTI