A day after Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha held a security review meeting, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram criticised the lack of authority given to the region’s elected chief minister. Chidambaram emphasised the need for the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
In a post on X, Chidambaram highlighted that the LG presided over the security meeting, while the elected chief minister, responsible for the security of the people, was absent. He pointed out that under current law, police and public order in J&K fall under the LG’s authority, leaving the chief minister powerless. He referred to J&K as “half a state” due to this limited authority.
Sinha’s meeting focused on enhancing security following a militant attack that killed seven workers in Ganderbal district.
He directed officials to conduct security audits of infrastructure projects, set up round-the-clock checkpoints, and increase patrolling. The meeting included top police officials and emphasised protecting workers at construction sites and ensuring coordination with project agencies.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Home Minister of India Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss various issues, including the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
Omar, who arrived yesterday in New Delhi for the first time since becoming CM, met Amit Shah at around 8:30pm.
During the meeting, which lasted for nearly 25 minutes, Omar is understood to have discussed different issues including the restoration of J&K’s statehood.
While no official statement was released about what transpired in the meeting, National Conference (NC), in a post on X, said that many crucial issues were discussed in the meeting. “Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Many crucial matters related to J&K were discussed,” the party said.
The CM is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today to discuss various issues with him. Omar is also expected to raise the demand for statehood with Modi.
In its first cabinet meeting, Omar-led council of ministers passed a resolution seeking restoration of J&K’s statehood “in its original form. The cabinet also authorised Omar to take up the matter of statehood restoration with government of India.
