The Wire Staff 
Srinagar: A resolution seeking the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, which was adopted in the first cabinet meeting chaired by the Union territory chief minister Omar Abdullah, has triggered a political row with the opposition parties accusing the coalition government of turning against its own election promises.
The controversy over Abdullah’s first cabinet meeting was exacerbated after his father and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Friday (October 18) appeared to soften the party’s stance on Article 370.
Asked to respond to the allegations by the opposition, Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar that solving the issues of the people was “the most important task” for the NC-led government, which prompted the opposition to target the ruling party once again.
‘Scaling down the demand’
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) termed the cabinet resolution as “nothing less than ratification” of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP)-led Union government’s move on August 5, 2019 which bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir and downgraded it into two Union territories.
“Omar Abdullah’s first resolution on statehood is nothing less than ratification of the August 5, 2019 decision. No resolution on Article 370 and scaling down the demand to mere statehood is a huge setback, especially after seeking votes on the promise of restoring Article 370,” PDP youth president Waheed Para posted on X.
People’s Conference president Sajad Lone also questioned the cabinet move, saying: “I humbly state that the will of the people of J&K is reflected in the Assembly and not in the cabinet. Cabinet is a majoritarian institution of governance. It does not reflect all shades and opinions as per the will of the people of J&K.”
The details of the resolution of the cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Abdullah on Thursday (October 17) at the civil secretariat in Srinagar, were released by the official PR wing of J&K government on Saturday.
“The restoration of statehood will be a beginning of a healing process, reclaiming the constitutional rights and protecting identity of people of Jammu and Kashmir .. (which) remains the cornerstone of the newly elected government’s policy,” an official spokesperson said.
Under new rules in the union territory, the minutes of cabinet meetings have to be vetted by the office of the lieutenant governor before they are made public. Indian Express reported that the restoration of J&K’s statehood figured on top of the agendas of the cabinet meeting, the minutes of which were sent to the LG’s office.
According to the official spokesperson, the cabinet “authorised the Chief Minister to take up the matter with the Prime Minister and Government of India for restoration of statehood.” It said that the chief minister will travel to New Delhi for meeting the Prime Minister and others on the issue.
Modi as well as Union home minister Amit Shah and other central ministers of the BJP-led NDA government have promised that the statehood of J&K would be restored once the assembly elections are held in the union territory.
“If the PM and others have already promised that J&K’s statehood would be restored, what is the need of going to Delhi?,” a PDP leader questioned.
Also read: Abdullah’s Statement Creates Doubts Over Whether NC Will Move Resolution Against Article 370 Move
Supreme Court petition
Abdullah’s first cabinet meeting took place on the day when the Supreme Court of India also agreed to hear a petition on J&K’s statehood which contended that the prolonged delay in restoring statehood has negatively impacted the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Filed by a college teacher and an activist, the plea urges the Union government to implement the promise made by the Solicitor General in the apex court during the Article 370 hearings: that the statehood of J&K would be restored once the assembly election was held in the Union territory.
The plea states that despite assurances, no substantial action has been taken in the past 10 months after the Supreme Court upheld the reading down of Article 370 to restore J&K’s statehood even after the culmination of the assembly election which it says is a violation of federalism.
The NC, which emerged as the single largest with 42 seats in the recently concluded assembly election, is facing a backlash from the opposition parties over its alleged change of heart on the issue of reading down of Article 370 after it formed a coalition government with the support of Congress, CPM and some independents.
After assuming office as the first chief minister of the union territory, Abdullah’s remarks that his government wanted cordial relations with the Union government have added fuel to the opposition’s fire that the NC scion was warming up to the BJP.
The party has rejected the allegations, saying that “it was foolish” to expect the party, BJP in this case, which revoked Article 370, to restore it. On Saturday, Abdullah posted on X: “Article 370 is the purview of the legislature while statehood is the purview of the government. Hence, the statehood resolution has come first.”
The official spokesperson said that the legislative assembly will convene in Srinagar on November 4.
According to reports, senior NC leader and Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, Syed Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has said that his party was going to bring a resolution against the August 2019 decision of the central government in the first sitting of J&K assembly.