SRINAGAR: With the Centre showing no sign of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in the near future, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday hinted at a possible struggle for the reinstatement of state status.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 56th Raising Day of Sainik School, Nagrota, Omar said the hopes of restoration during the monsoon session of Parliament had been dashed.A section of National Conference leaders had expected the Centre to announce the move during the session, which ended yesterday. “Our hopes of restoration of statehood were dashed. We will now start our process from here,” Omar said.He added they had believed the “promises (about restoration of statehood to J&K) made to us would be acted upon and fulfilled.”“If we need to struggle a bit for restoration of statehood, we will. We had expectations that we would not need it. If we need to struggle and work hard a bit, we will,” Omar said.In his Independence Day address at Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium, Omar had announced a signature campaign in support of restoring statehood.On 5 August 2019, the Centre scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir (with a legislature) and Ladakh (without a legislature).“Time has come that we move out from our offices and take our voices to the doors where these decisions are being taken. Till now we were making use of letters, resolutions and meetings to put our point across. The Supreme Court has given us eight weeks. It will again be hearing the case after eight weeks,” Omar said.On three bills moved by the Centre in Parliament on the arrest of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and ministers, Omar said: “As of now, in all the cases that have been registered and in which arrests have been made, only opposition members have been targeted. No law is inherently bad but misuse of a law makes it wrong.”“I fear that this law will also be misused,” he said, adding: “I want to remind my friends in BJP that they will not remain in power forever. The very law they are using against others today could be used against them tomorrow.”The National Conference, part of the opposition INDIA bloc, has opposed the three bills, alleging they are intended to selectively target opposition politicians.
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