Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday weighed in on the violent demonstrations in Leh over the demand for Ladakh’s statehood. Responding to the unrest, Abdullah drew comparisons with Jammu and Kashmir’s own demand for restoration of statehood.
Posting on X, the Chief Minister said, “Ladakh wasn’t even promised Statehood, they celebrated UT status in 2019 & they feel betrayed & angry. Now try to imagine how betrayed & disappointed we in J&K feel when the promise of statehood to J&K remains unfulfilled even though we have gone about demanding it democratically, peacefully & responsibly.”
Earlier in the day, Omar Abdullah expressed that an impression was forming in the Union Territory that its statehood will not be restored as the BJP could not win assembly elections last year. He claimed that BJP was the only party that opposed statehood restoration.
“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 media outside his private office, as quoted by news agency PTI.
“If there is opposition to the restoration of statehood, it is coming only from the BJP,” he remarked.
J-K, Ladakh Bifurcation
Abdullah’s remarks referred back to August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was revoked, and Jammu and Kashmir was split into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. While people in Ladakh initially welcomed the separation, citing years of neglect, political voices in Jammu and Kashmir, including Abdullah’s National Conference, have consistently pressed for the return of statehood.
Residents of Ladakh had initially hailed the Union Territory status in 2019, but now express a sense of betrayal over the absence of statehood. In contrast, Jammu and Kashmir’s political leaders argue that their demand for statehood has been peaceful and democratic but continues to remain unaddressed.
