Srinagar:

National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah has said that seeking the restoration of Article 370 from the BJP, the very party responsible for its removal is nothing short of “foolish.” However, he added that this would not deter his party from keeping the issue alive and continuing their efforts.

Mr Abdullah’s remarks come in the aftermath of the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, in which the NC-Congress alliance emerged victorious. 

“Our political stand will not change. We have never said that we will remain silent on Article 370 or that Article 370 is not an issue for us now. I have said this many times before the elections that hoping for the restoration of Article 370 from the people who snatched it will be foolish,” he said.”But we will keep this issue alive. We will continue to talk on this and hope that tomorrow there will be a change of government in the country, there will be a new setup with whom we can discuss this and get something for J-K.” 

Mr Abdullah called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil his promise of restoring J&K’s statehood, stripped in 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated. This call came as the NC-Congress alliance made the restoration of statehood a key election plank. “The Prime Minister is an honourable man,” Mr Abdullah told NDTV, “and I hope he lives up to his word.”

Citing PM Modi’s promise made during Parliament and various public rallies, Mr Abdullah said that the restoration of statehood would proceed without unnecessary delay. He rejected the idea that statehood was contingent upon the BJP forming the government in J&K, saying, “Nowhere has the BJP ever said – first there will be our government and then statehood. The PM never said that. People of J&K have spoken and I hope the Prime Minister will now be magnanimous and restore statehood at the earliest.”

Mr Abdullah said the election results as a clear rejection of the 2019 decision to scrap Article 370. The NC secured 42 seats in the 90-member Assembly, forming a majority with its Congress ally. He said the outcome reflected the people’s strong stance against the BJP’s policies, particularly in Kashmir, which overwhelmingly voted against the BJP.

Mr Abdullah won both the Budgam and Ganderbal seats, a big recovery after his setback in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. As J&K prepares for a new government, Mr Abdullah stressed the importance of a “healthy working relationship” with New Delhi.

Mr Abdullah, however, red-flagged the strained relationship between J&K and the current Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, urging the LG to foster better ties with the incoming government.