&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "J&K CM Omar Abdullah hits out at centre, announces to launch signature campaign for restoration of statehood")
The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah today hit out at the centre for delaying the restoration of the statehood for the Union Territory. He threatened to launch a door-to-door signature campaign across all 90 constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir. He said he will do it before the next Supreme Court hearing scheduled in 8 weeks.
While delivering his Independence Day speech at Srinagar's Bakshi Stadium, Omar Abdullah said that ''restoring statehood is crucial for the prosperity and progress of Jammu and Kashmir. I will not stop pressing for statehood, as it is the issue of everyone here.”
According to Omar Abdullah, the signature campaign will mean going from door to door to every household in all the constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir and Collect the signatures. He said he along with all his MLAs and Ministers would be visiting people's houses to get the signatures. “The time has come to move beyond writing letters. We will engage directly with the people and present their voices to the Centre and relevant authorities,” Omar said.
This was the first Independence Day celebration of an elected government after the abrogation of Article 370. He said a lot has changed in the last 6 years. “Much has changed since I last spoke as the Chief Minister of a state. Today, I stand here as the Chief Minister of a Union Territory. Our special status, flag, and constitution have all been taken away, and now even statehood seems elusive.”
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Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's remarks come in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that linked the restoration of statehood to the current ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The apex court had said that incidents like the recent Pahalgam attack cannot be overlooked while considering pleas for statehood restoration. The Supreme Court has also sought a response from the Centre within eight weeks regarding this matter.
