After the central government amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 enhancing more powers of the Lieutenant Governor, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that the Centre’s move would render the new Chief Minister “powerless” and indicates that the polls would be held soon in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier today, the Ministry of Home Affairs amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 enhancing some powers of the Lieutenant Governor of the erstwhile state.

“Another indicator that elections are around the corner in J-K. This is why a firm commitment to laying out the timeline for the restoration of full, undiluted statehood for J-K is a prerequisite for these elections. The people of J-K deserve better than a powerless, rubber stamp CM who will have to beg the LG to get his/her peon appointed,” Omar Abdullah posted on X.

Meanwhile, former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said that changes are important.

“In the coming days, the elections of Vidhan Sabha will be held and looking after that the LG power has been enhanced. The changes are important and they should take place. Looking after that the Minister of Home Affairs has taken the decision. For Free and fair elections the step has been taken. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha election we all witnessed that people in Jammu and Kashmir voted with great zeal. After this decision the activeness will come in the administration,” Mr Gupta told ANI.

Reacting to Omar Abdullah’s remarks that CM will become ‘powerless’, he said that “Law and order already is under control of MHA. Commenting on the issue is not right. Earlier the conditions of J-K were not good but now the government has improved the law and order here.”

President Droupadi Murmu has given her approval to the amendments in the rule exercising the powers conferred by section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, (34 of 2019) read with the Proclamation dated 31st October 2019 issued under section 73 of the Act, a notification issued by the MHA mentions.

The President made the rules further to amend the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019.
“These rules may be called the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Temtory of Jammu and Kashmir (Second Amendment) Rules, 2024,” reads the notification.

As per the notification, “these rules may be called the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (Second Amendment) Rules, 2024.”

The amendments shall come into force on July 12, the date of the publication in the Official Gazette– a move in anticipation of the speculated assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019 (hereinafter referred to as the principal rules), some rules have been inserted.

As per the inserted sub-rule (2A), “No proposal which requires previous concurrence of the Finance Department with regard to ‘Police’, ‘Public Order’, ‘All India Service’ and ‘Anti Corruption Bureau’ to exercise the discretion of the Lieutenant Governor under the Act shall be concurred or rejected unless it has been placed before the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary”.

In the principal rules, after rule 42, rule 42A has been inserted pointing, “Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs shall submit the proposal for appointment of Advocate-General and other Law Officers to assist the Advocate-General in the court proceedings, for approval of the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister.”

In the inserted rule 42B, “Any proposal regarding grant or refusal of prosecution sanction or filing of an appeal shall be placed before the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs”.

In the principal rules, in rule 43, after the third proviso, the notification states that some provisos shall be inserted, focusing on matters connected with Prisons, Directorate of Prosecution and Forensic Science Laboratory, under which “the matters shall be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor by Administrative Secretary, Home Department through the Chief Secretary”.

“Provided also that in respect of matters connected with posting and transfer of Administrative Secretaries and cadre posts of All India Services officers, the proposal shall be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor by the Administrative Secretary, General Administration Department through the Chief Secretary”.

It is pertinent to mention that the principal rules were published in the Gazette of India dated August 27, 2020 and subsequently amended on February 28, 2024.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

Three generations of the Abdullah family on Monday cast their vote in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, with National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah appealing to people to turn out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

NC president and former J-K chief minister Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and his two grandsons and first-time electors Zahir and Zamir” cast their vote at the polling station at the Burn Hall School here.

“We have two first-time voters with us. It is for the first time that three generations of our family are voting together,” Omar Abdullah, also a former chief minister, said.

It is for the first time since 1998 that no member of the Abdullah family is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Srinagar. The only loss the NC suffered on this seat was in the 2014 general elections.

While the BJP, which is in power at the Centre, is not contesting any of the three Lok Sabha seats, including Srinagar, in Kashmir, the party is confident that the elections in the Valley will end the domination of the NC and the PDP in the region.

Supported by the INDIA bloc, the NC has fielded influential Shia leader and former minister Aga Ruhullah Mehdi while the PDP has named its youth unit president Waheed Para as its candidate.

Even though the Srinagar seat was expected to witness a virtually head-on contest between Mehdi and Para, Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir and DPAP’s Amir Ahmad Bhat are also in the fray along with 20 others, including two women.

Talking to reporters after voting, he appealed to people to come out and vote as it was the “only democratic way to raise their voice against the decisions taken by the Centre in Jammu and Kashmir”.

The NC leader was referring to the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 that led to the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of J-K into Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Lok Sabha polls are also the first major election in the Kashmir region after the abrogation of the article, which granted special status to J-K. Omar Abdullah also alleged that NC workers were harassed by the administration ahead of polling in the constituency.

“We have provided to the EC (Election Commission) names of eight of our workers so that they don’t say that we are talking without proof. It was not an exhaustive list but an indicative list. We gave the details of police stations where they were taken. We did not accuse a particular officer, we have said that it was being done by the administration,” the NC leader said.

“We are getting reports from other constituencies. Our polling agents were so scared that many of them did not go to their homes last night, fearing that they might be detained. Some of them slept over with their friends and relatives while some had to spend the night in their cars. If this is free and fair election, then they can keep it at home,” Omar Abdullah said.

In response to a question, he said Apni Party head Altaf Bukhari levelling allegations of harassment by the administration was a “joke”.

“Apni Party levelling these kind of allegations is a joke. All this is being done to benefit them only. Who else is here to contest for the Centre?” he said.

He, however, expressed hope that these incidents would not be repeated.

“Let bygones be bygones. Today is a new day and we hope that our workers will not be harassed like this,” the NC leader said.

Omar Abdullah appealed to people to vote, saying, “There is no boycott or violence, people should come out and vote. This is the only democratic way to raise our voices. So many things have happened which need to be answered by the people and this is the only way to do so.”

“How much effect it will have will be known by the close of the polling. We will have to wait till the evening to see how many voters in Pulwama, Shopian and Srinagar cast their votes. You will have to accept it this time that those who do not vote are doing so voluntarily,” he added.

Farooq Abdullah said while he was happy that elections were being held, it was a matter of regret that key workers of several political parties were detained over the past two days.

“I could not cast a vote in 2014 as I was in hospital. I am happy that I am before you here. But there is a regret that while they say everything is normal and elections are free, they have arrested key workers of several political parties, mostly National Conference, over the past two days,” he said.

“I want to ask the PM (prime minister) and the HM (home minister) why our workers were arrested? Are they scared that they will lose? They will definitely lose, God Willing,” Farooq Abdullah added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Sunday said restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is not an issue for his party in the Lok Sabha polls, asserting that it will get the statehood anyway in view of commitment by the prime minister and the Union home minister.

Mr Abdullah also said the results of the Lok Sabha polls will have an impact on the upcoming assembly elections in the Union territory.

“Statehood is not an issue for us. Our battle is not for statehood, we will get the statehood anyway. Why should we waste people’s time on an issue that the PM and the home minister are committed to?” Mr Abdullah told reporters in Kupwara district where he was campaigning.

The former chief minister is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla which will vote on May 20.

“If this government somehow comes back to power, which seems increasingly impossible now, they are committed to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. If the government changes, which we are hoping for, our effort will be that we get full statehood before the assembly elections take place,” he added.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha in December last year, Home Minister Amit Shah had assured the country that full statehood would be restored to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time.

Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on transformation of Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370, Mr Abdullah said the BJP should have fielded their own candidates in Kashmir if that were the case.

“If there has been so much (positive) change in J-K, why have they not fielded a party candidate in Kashmir? What is the need for contesting the elections through proxy candidates? They should have fielded their own candidates. Maybe, we would have lost our security deposit. Who would have voted for us when BJP candidates had been there!” he added.

In response to a question, the NC leader said the results of the Lok Sabha elections will have an impact on assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir which are to be held before September 2024 in view of the directions of the Supreme Court.

“There will be an impact on assembly elections because there are not even two months left. This election will finish in June and we are hopeful that in August-September there will be assembly elections,” he said.

The NC leader said the party campaign in the ongoing polls is not focusing on development but the political issue with the Centre.

“We will talk about development but this election is not about development. When we know that within two months assembly elections will happen, the NC manifesto and its candidates will be more focused on development. In this election, we are more focused on the political issue with the Centre,” he added.

On jailed politician Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid, Mr Abdullah questioned the justification for keeping the former MLA in jail for so long when the charges have not been framed against him.

“I don’t know if his bail application is pending…if it is not, he should apply for bail. As far as I know, charges have not been framed against him. He has been in jail for a long time now.

“If you have not been able to frame charges against him for so long, then there is no justification to keep him in jail. Everyone knows who is behind Engineer Rashid’s arrest. If the government (at the Centre) changes in June and our government is formed (here) in September, this process of arrests will be ended,” he said.

On speculation that PDP has supported the candidature of Rashid in the Baramulla constituency, Mr Abdullah said the rival party has refuted these claims.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kupwara (J-K):

National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Friday said he hoped leaders of India and Pakistan would create an atmosphere for dialogue and resolve mutual concerns and issues.

Mr Abdullah, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election from north Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency, was responding to a question on Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remarks on Pakistan.

“I do not want to get into what Aiyar has said. We do not talk to our neighbours because of their nuclear weapons, we have other neighbours who do not have nuclear weapons, but we try to keep good relations with them, be it Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, or Myanmar,” the NC leader told reporters here.

Referring to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement in Parliament that one can change a friend but not a neighbour, Abdullah expressed hope that both countries would create an atmosphere for dialogue.

“There is a new government in place in Pakistan, and after the results on June 4 here, there will also be a new government here, whoever forms it. But it is our hope that leaders of both countries will create an atmosphere for dialogue and resolve our mutual concerns and issues,” he added.

He alleged that Muslims were continuously being targeted during the poll campaign.

“Muslims are being targeted in every speech. Yesterday also, a BJP leader said this election is Modi versus Rahul and development versus jihad. You talk of jihad just to show that Muslims do not know anything other than jihad,” Mr Abdullah said.

“Do we not want to participate in progress? Do our youth have no right to take part in the country’s progress? If the population of the country is 140 crores, 14 per cent of that is Muslims. Muslims also have the right to take part in development. Why are Muslims labelled with the tag of jihad,” the NC leader asked.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

J&K People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone said that BJP would have faced public rejection for scrapping article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir if it had contested polls in the Valley.

Sajad Lone, who is being accused of being BJP’s “team B” in the Valley, denied having any association with the party and blamed Omar Abdullah for helping BJP by creating a false narrative.

Mr Lone said the parliament election was the first test of “moral acceptance or rejection” of BJPs decision on Article 370 and they chose not field any candidate to avoid facing the defeat.

“I had this idea a year ago that BJP will not field candidates for parliament elections in Kashmir because it’s the first election after abrogation of Article 370,” said Mr Lone.

“Everyone knew they will not field candidates because if they will get just one percent vote. It would have meant a moral rejection. So they made a clever move not to field candidate” said Sajad Lone.

Mr Lone said that BJP is a peripheral party in Kashmir and blamed Omar Abdullah for helping BJP like several other Muslim leaders in the country.

“There are several Muslim leaders in the country who work for BJP, Omar Abdullah has also been hired by BJP and he’s terming every opponent of National Conference as B team of BJP in Kashmir,” he said.

The BJP, meanwhile, said that it is the “kingmaker” and without their support no one can win parliament elections in the Valley.

“We are the kingmakers. We have support of people in every part of the Valley and without our support no party can win these elections” said Ravindra Raina, BJP’s J&K President.

Top BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah have appealed people in Kashmir to vote for any candidate who fights against National Conference and the PDP.

Mr Lone who is contesting from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat against Omar Abdullah has sought an apology from National Conference leader for making “false” allegation against him about his links with BJP

Mr Abdullah had accused Sajad Lone of publicly accepting that he’s part of the BJP.

“If Omar Abdullah is true in his claim that I have made a statement of being part of BJP, let him show the clip. I am ready to tender a public apology. And if this is false, then he should apologise,” said Mr Lone

Srinagar:

The redrawn electoral map of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag constituency has come as a hurdle to political parties of Kashmir Valley.  The ongoing Lok Sabha election is the first major poll in Jammu and Kashmir since the scrapping of Article 370. The political parties busy grappling with the electoral map are now confronted with a new possibility — the deferment of election in the constituency.

In Anantnag-Rajouri, mountains have driven a wedge through the redrawn constituency, dividing its main portion from Rajouri and Poonch. In between lies Shopian district, which has been made part of the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, creating a complete geographical disconnect between one end of the Anantnag constituency and the other.

Elections in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency are due on May 7. But they could be deferred because of challenges in connectivity and weather conditions. The Mughal road, which connects the two ends of the constituency, has been closed due to snowfall and some parties have contended that campaigning is difficult under the circumstances. The BJP and some other groups have demanded that the election be deferred because of the closure of the Mughal road.

The Election Commission is likely to take a decision shortly. The Commission has asked the J&K administration to submit a report on whether the election needs to be rescheduled because of the connectivity issues.

The National Conference and the PDP claim that the weather and road connectivity are being used as an excuse to derail election process.

“The letter from the Election Commission to the J&K administration is intriguing,” said National Conference chief and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Parties that have demanded deferment of election are not even contesting, he pointed out.

“The People’s Conference and the BJP are not contesting in Anantnag constituency. What do they have do with this election? They are proving that they are helping someone through the backdoor. If our views are ignored, it would mean that it is a well-planned conspiracy to fiddle with elections,” he added.

The BJP says it is not their fault if the road has been shut due to snowfall.

“The Mughal road is open. I have myself travelled by the Mughal road. What is this excuse to defer elections?” said People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, who is contesting from Anantnag.

“Through delimitation, they have already rigged elections… Didn’t they know at the time of delimitation that unless a tunnel is built between the Valley and Pir Panjal commuting remains difficult for 6 months,” she added.

“There is bad weather, heavy snowfall, connectivity through Mughal road from Rajouri-Poonch to the Valley is closed… what’s the fault of BJP? There has been heavy snowfall on the Pir Panjal mountains,” said Ravinder Raina, chief of J&K BJP.

While 21 candidates are in fray in Anantnag, the contest is a triangular one between Mian Altaf Ahmad of National Conference, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP and J&K Apni Party, believed to be backed by the BJP. The Congress and CPM are supporting the National Conference, which is part of the opposition bloc INDIA.

Anantnag:

 National Conference leader Omar Abdullah claimed that Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its ‘C team’.

Mr Abdullah’s statement comes after BJP leader Mushtaq Bukhari notably urged members of the Pahari community to vote for Mehbooba Mufti in the ongoing Lok Sabha election.

Referring to this, the NC leader said, “If we have to defeat the BJP here, and the powers spreading poison in the whole country, then people should look at INDIA alliance leaders on all five seats of J-K. All others are connected to the BJP in some way. Be it the ‘A’ or ‘B’ team that meets Tarun Chugh sahib or PDP. I am assuming that now Mehbooba Mufti will put pressure on the BJP to get Mushtaq Bukhari’s statement changed. PDP has joined BJP as its ‘C’ team.”

When asked about sitting BJP Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal who dropped as a candidate from the constituency in this election, Mr Abdullah said that they will try to field such a candidate from the National Conference-Congress so that BJP has no chance of winning the seat.

“The right candidate should be fielded by Congress (on the Ladakh seat) as we are fighting together on the Ladakh seat. We will try to field such a candidate from National Conference-Congress so that BJP has no chance of winning the seat,” he said.

BJP on Tuesday announced Tashi Gyalson, a former party general secretary of the Ladakh unit, as its candidate from the Ladakh constituency replacing its current MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal from the Lok Sabha seat.

Tashi Gyalson is a councillor from the Lingshed constituency and in 2020 was elected as chairman and chief executive councillor of the 6th Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, (LAHDC), Leh.

He joined the BJP after the BJP-PDP coalition government in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir collapsed. He was then a member of the PDP.

Polling in Udhampur was held on April 19 (Phase 1), while Jammu, Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar, and Baramulla will poll on April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20 respectively.

In 2019, polling for the Lok Sabha was held for six seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, following the abrogation of Article 370, which resulted in the split of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories–Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, there is no longer a separate Lok Sabha constituency for Ladakh.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP won three seats while the National Conference won the remaining three.

The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

Weeks ahead of the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, Jammu and Kashmir has joined the list of states where INDIA allies are contesting against each other. The Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decided to go solo in Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.

Announcing the decision at a press meet, Ms Mufti said her party will contest the three seats in Kashmir Valley and will soon take a decision on contesting the two parliamentary seats in Jammu. She also hit out at ally National Conference for its “unilateral” decision to contest all seats in Kashmir.

The move comes after National Conference announced that it will contest all three seats in Kashmir and named Mian Altaf as its candidate from Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

Hitting out at National Conference and its leader Omar Abdullah, she said, “The National Conference and Omar Abdullah didn’t leave any option for us.”

She said the need of the hour was for political parties in Jammu and Kashmir to remain united. But the attitude of the National Conference leadership was hurtful, she said. “When the INDI alliance’s meeting took place in Mumbai, I said there that since (NC president) Farooq Abdullah is our senior leader, he will take a decision (on seat sharing) and will do justice. I had hoped he would keep the party interests aside,” she said. But the National Conference decided to contest all three seats in Kashmir unilaterally, she added.

Ms Mufti said that if the National Conference had consulted the PDP before announcing the decision, her party could have decided not to field candidates in the larger interest of Kashmir.

“If they had to take the same decision, if they thought that they had a better voice than the PDP to raise the issues of the people of Kashmir, then they should have told me two months ago that they wanted to contest themselves and told me not to field candidates, then perhaps, for the larger interest, we would not have contested,” she said.

“But, the way Omar (Abdullah) announced the decision without taking us into confidence, it hurt my workers and broke their hearts,” she added.

The National Conference last month announced that it will be contesting all Lok Sabha seats in the valley.

In a press meet yesterday, Omar Abdullah had slammed the media for trying to create a rift between National Conference and PDP.

“Why are you making the PDP fight us? Has the PDP said anywhere that they will contest elections? It is you people who are fuelling this. I heard the speech of Mehboba Mufti in Delhi, she said Farooq sahib and we are together and we will not break the INDIA alliance. Why are you trying to make us fight?” he asked.

He also said the National Conference’s decision to contest all three seats in Kashmir was based on who won the previous elections.

This puts the Congress in a tricky spot. Now it must decide whether it will support the PDP or National Conference. The PDP’s decision will also add a punch to the BJP’s campaign against the INDIA alliance over the bloc’s members taking each other on in multiple states, including Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal.

Some workers of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena burnt the photo of National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in Thane, nearly 23 km from Mumbai, for opposing the construction of Maharashtra Bhavan on a 2.5-acre land in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam.

The workers first tried to burn an effigy of Mr Abdullah but were stopped by the police after which they burnt his photo. They also raised slogans against him.

Recently, the Maharashtra cabinet approved the purchase of land for the bhavan in Budgam. The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, however, said last week that if his government comes to power, he would have the deal relooked.

“The Eknath Shinde government proposed the bhavan in Kashmir for tourism point of view, so that people from Maharashtra can go there and can be assisted there. But, Omar Abdullah has opposed it and which is why we have taken to the streets,” said Rahul Londhe, Eknath Shinde camp spokesperson.

He further warned that if need be, “the workers will go to Kashmir and throw shoes at Omar Abdullah”.

Mr Londhe also slammed Uddhav Thackeray who is an ally to Omar Abdullah under the Opposition’s INDIA bloc alliance.

Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande warned that Mr Abdullah will not be allowed to enter Maharashtra. “Why is Omar Abdullah opposing the Maharashtra Bhavan? Omar Abdullah studied in Mumbai when the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was violent. It is Maharashtra where he stayed and completed his graduation. Has he forgotten that?” said Ms Kayande.

She also said that if he “threatens us, we will ensure that you do not enter Maharashtra.”

Jammu:

Democratic Progressive Azad Party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad has been elected to the Rajya Sabha twice with National Conference’s help and the difference in the “ferocity” of his attacks towards the NC and the BJP showed the leader’s “agenda”, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday.

Mr Abdullah, responding to the recent attacks by Mr Azad on the National Conference (NC), asked if the DPAP leader had forgotten all previous “help” provided by the NC.

“I would like the same party (Azad’s DPAP) to attack BJP with half the ferocity they attack us. It tells you their agenda. Everyone knows what it means to them when Azad praises the prime minister and criticises Farooq Abdullah sahib.

“Instead, Farooq Abdullah sent him twice to the Rajya Sabha when his own party was not interested in sending him to the Rajya Sabha”, Omar Abdullah told reporters here in response to Azad’s remarks on the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during his election rallies.

Taking another dig at him, Omar Abdullah questioned Mr Azad whether he had forgotten the time when he used to call to remove PDP’s Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2005. Azad enjoyed power with us, the NC vice president said.

“He reached the Rajya Sabha because of our members. How his wife Shameema Ji wept while calling Dr Farooq Abdullah sahib that you gave a new lease of life in politics to Azad sahib. Has he forgotten everything? Time has changed. He has also changed,” he said.

Omar Abdullah said that Mr Azad should not forget that he was in the Rajya Sabha for 12 years due to the NC. “He is enjoying the house in which he lives today because of us,” the NC leader said.

On the central government’s plans to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act before the general elections, Omar Abdullah asked, “Why have they not brought it till now. What are they waiting for? Why don’t they come out with the notification on the reservation of Paharis too? We want to know how you are going to implement it. Who are you including in Paharis? What you are saying in terms of reservation won’t benefit Paharis. It is to deceive them before elections to get their votes.” He made the remarks shortly before the Union Home Ministry notified rules for the CAA on Monday.

To a question on the electoral bonds issue, the former chief minister said those who have “control” over the SBI are being “protected”.

“Who has taken the highest electoral bonds? Who is to be saved? They will not protect those who have taken the lowest bonds. They don’t want to inform people how many bonds have been taken by a particular party. Who has control over SBI. I and the INDIA alliance do not have that control,” he said.

“The good thing is that the Supreme Court has rejected their argument. They have told them to submit information by March 12. We will also come to know who has got what. We got very little. We have not even come on the list of ECI,” he said.

When asked about resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, Omar Abdullah said it was “not just up to India but also on the other side” to start talks.

“Let us see how the situation develops. BJP will find itself in its own trap. If J&K is normal, why can’t you talk to Pakistan. If you don’t talk to Pakistan, it means things aren’t normal,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)