- Thursday, December 26, 2024
The Congress said it will not join the council of ministers for the moment as statehood has not been restored for Jammu and Kashmir
By: Shajil Kumar
NATIONAL Conference leader Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, the first elected government in the Union territory since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Abdullah, who takes over as chief minister for a second term and is the third generation of the Abdullah family to occupy the office – after his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah and father Farooq Abdullah.
Five ministers – Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma – also took the oath of office.
While Itoo and Dar are from the Kashmir valley, Rana, Choudhary and Sharma are from the Jammu region.
The Congress said it will not join the council of ministers for the moment.
JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra said the Congress will not join council of ministers in J-K for the moment as it is unhappy that statehood has not been restored.
INDIA bloc leaders attended the event in full strength.
Among those who had gathered at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) were Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Left leaders Prakash Karat and D Raja, DMK’s Kanimozhi and NCP’s Supriya Sule. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also attended the event.
Omar Abdullah’s family, including his father Farooq Abdullah, mother Molly Abdullah, his two sisters, and two sons were present on the occasion.
Abdullah was earlier unanimously elected leader of the NC Legislature Party. His first term as chief minister was from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state.
The National Conference won 42 out of the 90 seats in the recent elections while alliance partner Congress bagged six. Together, the two pre-poll allies hold a majority in the 95-member assembly – five members are to be nominated by the LG.
In 2019, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Hopeful of statehood: Omar
Omar Abdullah expressed optimism that Jammu and Kashmir will not remain a Union territory for a long time and regain full statehood soon.
Hours before taking oath of office, the National Conference leader told PTI Videos that all ministerial vacancies would not be filled at once but will be filled going ahead as “we are in talks with Congress and also from within my own team.”
On former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s willingness to share his experience with him on governing a ‘half-state’ like Delhi, Abdullah said, “I have a lot of lessons to learn. I learnt a lot of lessons in six years, made some mistakes and intend not to repeat those mistakes because it is only a fool who keeps repeating the same mistakes again and again”.
“I definitely am not doing that. But nobody is perfect so every day is an opportunity to learn. So yes, one will learn from everybody who has experience governing this country. But again I make the point. I sincerely believe that we will not be a UT for a long time. Therefore this so-called half state is very much a temporary phase and we will be a full state soon,” he said.
Terming the Union territory status of Jammu and Kashmir as unfortunate, he said, “I have always maintained that our status as a UT is temporary one. We have commitments from the Government of India, particularly from the prime minister, home minister and others that statehood will be restored to J-K and we hope that happens at the earliest”.
In the meantime, he said his government has a responsibility towards the people.
“We have the mandate from the people to get to work to resolve their problems and that is what we aim to do from day one,” he said.
Abdullah also said that he is generally a positive person, which is not to say that “I am not apprehensive.
“Obviously, there is a lot of nervousness but I have enormous faith in the almighty and he will show the way and I will do the best that I can,” he added.
Tribute to Sheikh Abdullah
Omar Abdullah paid tributes at the mausoleum of National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah ahead of his swearing-in ceremony.
Dressed in a Pathani suit and coat, the 54-year-old Abdullah offered floral tributes at the graveyard of the party founder.
“Omar Abdullah offered prayers at his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s mausoleum in Hazratbal, ahead of his swearing ceremony as the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory,” the National Conference said. (PTI)
