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Abdullah, whose govt completed 11 months in office this month, said the lack of full statehood remains the biggest challenge facing the region
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. (PTI file photo)
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said there is a growing impression among the people of the Union Territory that the restoration of statehood is being delayed because the BJP did not win the assembly elections.
“Sometimes it looks like people of Jammu and Kashmir will not get statehood because the BJP lost the elections. This is an injustice because nowhere was it said that statehood will be restored only if the BJP wins,” Abdullah told reporters outside his private office in Srinagar.
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He added that the BJP remains the only political party opposing the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“If there is opposition to the restoration of statehood, it is coming only from the BJP,” the J&K CM noted.
Abdullah, whose government completed 11 months in office this month, said the lack of full statehood remains the biggest challenge facing the region.
“The way the people were promised and the Supreme Court was informed, we expected it to be a three-step process: first delimitation, then elections, followed by restoration of statehood,” he said.
Abdullah also stressed that while it was unfortunate for the BJP not to win, the people should not be punished for it.
“The delimitation happened, elections were conducted and people enthusiastically participated in the polls. It was bad luck for the BJP that they did not win the polls, but people cannot be punished for that,” he added.
Abdullah also commented on the ongoing controversy around the ‘I Love Muhammad’ campaign, questioning the logic behind making it a legal issue.
“Who can have a problem with these three words? I fail to understand how it can become a basis for arrest,” he said. “Only a mentally sick person can make a case out of writing these words.”
He urged the courts to intervene and resolve the matter at the earliest. “Even if the campaign were linked to Muslims, the act of writing ‘I Love Muhammad’ cannot be illegal.”
“Don’t people of other religions praise their holy persons and leaders? When you travel outside Kashmir, there is hardly a vehicle that does not have a picture of a deity. If that is not illegal, how does this become illegal?” Abdullah asked.
(With inputs from PTI)
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
Jammu and Kashmir, India, India
September 24, 2025, 22:02 IST
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