Omar Abdullah Calls For J&K Statehood Restoration As PM Modi Unveils Rs 46,000 Crore Infra Projects In The UT

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday (6 June) reiterated his call for the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory, India Today reported.

Sharing a stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in J&K's Katra, Abdullah noted the contrasting trajectories of political roles in the region, pointing out that while Manoj Sinha had moved from Union Minister of State to Lieutenant Governor, he had been “demoted” from Chief Minister of a state to that of a Union Territory.

Abdullah’s remarks came during an event where Prime Minister Modi launched infrastructure projects worth Rs 46,000 crore in J&K.

The Prime Minister inaugurated several key developments, including the historic Chenab Bridge, the Anji Bridge, and the final leg of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL). He also flagged off the first Vande Bharat Express to Kashmir.

Referencing their shared presence at the inauguration of the Katra railway station in 2014, Abdullah said, “There are four persons on this stage who were present… You had just won the election, becoming the prime minister for the first time… I was here as chief minister.”

"I was chief minister of a state and now I am a CM of the UT. However, I believe that it will not take long to rectify it .... Jammu and Kashmir will again get the statehood under your watch only," Abdullah said.

Abdullah also highlighted the symbolic importance of the train link to Kashmir.

He said that even the British had thought of connecting Kashmir by rail, but they did not succeed.

"What the British could not achieve has happened at your (Modi's) hands and Kashmir has been connected to the rest of the country," he added.

Paying tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said, “It will be a grave mistake if I do not thank former Prime Minister Vajpayee… he declared it a project of national importance.”