Meets Shah, says L&O LG’s responsibility
New Delhi: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday met with Union Home Minister Shah for the second time since taking office on October 16. The discussion was described as cordial, with CM expressing a commitment to creating a better environment for the benefit of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
After the meeting that lasted 30 minutes, the chief minister told reporters that he briefed the Union home minister about the situation in the Union territory and the experience of his government in the last two months.
“Yes, I raised the issue of early restoration of statehood with the home minister,” Abdullah said, adding that “we hope that Jammu and Kashmir gets its statehood restored soon”.
On whether the talks included the militancy situation in the Union territory, he said security and law and order are the responsibility of the lieutenant governor.
“I have always said and I told the home minister that ‘you cannot fight militancy and terrorism in a vacuum, you will have to take the public of Jammu and Kashmir in confidence….they will also have to be brought into this battle, and for that, you will have to take into confidence their elected representatives and their elected government’,” Abdullah said.
The chief minister said the talks did not include the framing of business rules for the division of powers between the elected government and the lieutenant governor’s office and made it clear that the Centre had no role in it.
“Business rules have nothing to do with the government of India. We have to decide it and the Cabinet has to approve it. The Cabinet sub-committee will finalise it and then, we will send it to the LG for approval,” he said.
“Discussions on Kashmir’s situation, including the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, have been ongoing. It is hoped that these efforts will continue to benefit the people of Jammu and Kashmir and lead to the restoration of its statehood,” said Abdullah after the meeting.
During the meeting, Abdullah expressed optimism about an early resolution and aimed to establish a concrete timeline for the restoration of statehood. Additionally, he sought clarification on the Transaction of Business Rules (TBR) to better understand the scope of the elected government’s authority over various departments.
Speaking at the 18th Annual Tourism Summit 2024, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Abdullah emphasized the importance of the discussion with Shah. “There are several pressing issues, including statehood restoration, which require clarity from the Union home minister. The dynamics of governance as a Union Territory differ significantly,” he said.
Abdullah’s prior meeting with Shah on October 23, shortly after assuming office on October 16, was largely seen as a courtesy call. However, he had then also highlighted the urgency of restoring statehood and briefed the minister on the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah will be attending the Goods and Services Tax meeting in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer on December 20.
To a question about the proposed hike of 28 per cent on handloom products, he said, “I have not seen such a proposal. If it comes, we will contest it. Not only us, other states will be affected too.” Immediately after Abdullah’s meeting ended and he left, Shah began his second meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and other senior officers to review the law-and-order situation in the Union territory.
Earlier, Abdullah met with Shah on October 23 during his first visit to the national capital after assuming office on October 16.
