Srinagar, July 14: Shortly after he was manhandled, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah raked up the Pahalgam attack and demanded restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“J&K was promised statehood… and what was promised should be given. PM had said, ‘this is Modi’s promise…,” Omar told NDTV.
Omar insisted that he would not stand in the way of J&K becoming a state again, warning those who might oppose this, “We have plans if this promise is not fulfilled. We have ways to get our voice to Delhi… democratic and peaceful means will be used,” he said.
Chief Minister said if the Pahalgam terror attack was a setback, could it mean the federal government might delay statehood, citing security concerns?
“You are going out of your way to tell the people of Jammu and Kashmir that they are ‘powerless’… but they are not. Don’t blame us for what happens,” Omar said, “If they had just let us go quietly to offer prayers… then this would have been a non-issue.”