Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
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Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated promise to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday (July 12, 2026) said a commitment made by the country’s highest elected leader should carry weight.
“In (Jammu’s) Katra, the Prime Minister talked about the restoration of J&K’s Statehood, with these words that ‘it isn’t an ordinary promise but Modi’s promise’. If the PM makes a promise, it should carry some weight, and there should be some action on it,” said Mr. Abdullah, addressing a public rally in J&K’s winter capital Jammu.
This was the second major public rally by the ruling National Conference (NC) ahead of its proposed July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to demand restoration of Statehood and constitutional guarantees. On Saturday (July 11), Mr. Abdullah addressed a similar rally in J&K’ summer capital Srinagar.
He said, “Whenever the people of Jammu and Kashmir seek fulfilment of the promise, we are told it will happen ‘at the appropriate time’. The restoration of Statehood is not the cause of any one party; it is the cause of every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. That is why we have invited every political party and leader to join us on July 20. With elections still years away, this is the time to rise above politics and stand united for our shared future,” said Mr. Abdullah.
Referring to the Centre’s outreach to Ladakh with Article 371 safeguards, Mr. Abdullah said, “If dialogue and constitutional safeguards can be offered to those who choose to protest, why are the democratic aspirations of the people of J&K denied? We seek nothing more than the restoration of our rightful Statehood and the authority to govern through the mandate given to us by the people.”
Responding to the BJP’s scathing attack following allegations that the party had offered ₹20-₹30 crore to buy NC’s legislators, Mr. Abdullah said, “They (the BJP) never tire of plotting and breaking up parties. In Maharashtra, look at the parties of Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. What have you done to Mamata Banerjee’s party in West Bengal and the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab? You yourselves boastfully claim that you ran Operation Lotus.”
He alleged, “If the BJP is unable to join the government ‘through the front door’, it tries to rule ‘through the back door’.”
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said restoration of Statehood is a must to ensure good days for J&K, adding, “Give us back Statehood so that we can address employment issues. This is the voice of the people of J&K.”
Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into a Union Territory in 2019 when the Centre ended its seven decades of special status under Article 370. The NC came to power in 2024, and after assuming office as the Chief Minister, Mr. Abdullah met Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and pressed for Statehood status.
The National Conference has announced a sit-in at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20, the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
CPI(M) backs sit-in
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) extended support to the July 20 protest.
“The decision of the 5th August 2019—when Article 370 and Article 35-A were abrogated—was taken without any consultation with stakeholders of Jammu and Kashmir, and it remains as an unprecedented assault on the rights of the people. It was not an attack on one party or one region alone, but one that touched every community, caste and creed in the entire region,” said CPI9M) State Secretary Abass Rather.
Mr. Rather appealed to every political party, organisation and citizen, regardless of ideology or affiliation, to set aside the differences and join hands on this common cause on July 20.
“This is in the larger interest of the constitutional order of the country. Any further delay in this regard is bound to further deepen the widespread discontentment and disillusionment of the people,” he added.
Published – July 12, 2026 04:56 pm IST
