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Omar Abdullah: Seeking Article 370 Restoration from Modi Govt ‘Foolish’, Statehood for J&K Top Priority

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National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah has stated that he does not expect the restoration of Article 370 from the Narendra Modi-led central government. He emphasized that the immediate priority for the next NC-Congress government in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir would be the restoration of statehood.

The restoration of special status was a key promise in the National Conference’s (NC) pre-poll manifesto, which, along with its alliance partner Congress, eventually won the elections in the Union Territory. However, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah acknowledged that it is unrealistic to expect the Modi government to restore Article 370, which was abrogated in August 2019.

“None of us are foolish enough, nor did we try to convince voters that we were going to push for our Article 370 agenda with this current government in Delhi. We know that you’re not going to get it back from the government that took it away. So, set that aside for now,” Abdullah said in an interview with a TV channel.

The Modi government not only revoked Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, but also bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories—Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Restoring Artilce 370 
In its assembly election manifesto, released on August 19, 2024, the National Conference (NC) promised 12 key guarantees. These included the restoration of Article 370 and 35A, the repeal of the Public Safety Act (PSA), the release of political prisoners, the creation of one lakh jobs, and the restoration of dialogue between India and Pakistan. These commitments reflected NC’s broader vision for addressing the political, social, and economic issues in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite the promise of restoring Article 370, Omar Abdullah has made it clear that achieving this under the current Modi government is not feasible.
The Congress party, the alliance partner of the National Conference (NC) in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, did not make any pre-poll promises in its separate manifesto. However, the NC-Congress alliance won the elections by securing 49 out of 90 seats, with NC winning 42 seats, Congress securing six, and CPI-M winning one seat.

Omar Abdullah, NC Vice President, emphasized that the immediate priority of the new government would be to work with the central government to restore statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. He expressed confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to him as an “honorable man” who had previously promised the restoration of statehood to the region. Abdullah stressed the importance of establishing a cooperative relationship with the central government, noting that a hostile approach would not benefit either Jammu and Kashmir or the Union government.

Abdullah, who won both the Budgam and Ganderbal seats, is likely to become the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir for the second time. The NC MLAs are set to meet on Thursday to formally choose their leader for the position.

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