Omar Abdullah Rejects Claims NC Fuelled Jammu Statehood Demand

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday welcomed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) assertion that it has no agenda to carve out Jammu as a separate state, but reminded the party that the debate itself was triggered by its own leaders and “a few of its friends in Kashmir.” Responding to BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh’s allegation that the National Conference (NC) was responsible for fuelling demands for Jammu’s separation, Abdullah said it was “factually incorrect” to blame his party. “It was the BJP MLAs who started this debate. How many of them should I name? We have never supported any move to divide Jammu and Kashmir,” he told reporters at Gulmarg, the Valley’s premier ski resort.The Chief Minister reiterated the NC’s long-standing position on preserving the territorial and administrative unity of the erstwhile state. He also recalled his party’s opposition to the separation of Ladakh, stressing that he continues to believe Ladakh should be reintegrated with J&K. “We were against Ladakh being separated, and we still want it to be part of J&K,” he said.Chugh, speaking in Jammu on Saturday during a workshop for party legislators, firmly rejected any proposal to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into separate states. “Our party believes J&K is a single unit and an integral part of India. Even the territory under Pakistan’s illegal occupation is an inseparable part of J&K and India. There are no two opinions on this,” he said.Addressing questions about some BJP legislators who have demanded separate statehood for Jammu, Chugh acknowledged concerns over “regional discrimination” under the Omar Abdullah government but insisted that the BJP’s official stand remains unchanged. “Whenever the Abdullahs come to power, they subject people to regional disparity and caste-based discrimination to dilute SC and ST reservations. We will not allow such policies to be implemented,” he alleged.On the recent controversy over judicial selection results—where most successful candidates were from Jammu—Chief Minister Abdullah urged people to avoid viewing merit-based outcomes through religious or regional lenses. “In medical selections, the trend was the opposite. We must stop interpreting everything through the prism of region and religion. Merit should be the only criterion,” he said.He added that the government was open to investigating any credible allegations of malpractice. “If there is proof of wrongdoing, I will order an inquiry. But we should not politicise merit,” he cautioned. Abdullah warned that such politicisation had previously led to damaging consequences. “This is the same kind of politics that recently resulted in the closure of a medical college in Jammu,” he said. The debate over Jammu’s statehood resurfaced after BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma revived his long-standing demand for a separate Jammu state earlier this month. His remarks triggered sharp reactions across party lines, with both ruling and opposition parties criticising the proposal. Even within the BJP, the idea found no support, prompting the party leadership to distance itself from Sharma’s statement and clarify that it reflected his personal opinion, not the party’s stance. Shifting focus to weather-related developments, the Chief Minister described the recent snowfall across J&K as a “blessing,” noting that it had revived tourism and replenished the water table. “This snowfall during Chillai-Kalan (the 40-day-long harsh winter) is a good sign. Tourists were waiting for it, and now they have started arriving. Without this snow, we would have faced water scarcity in summer,” he said. Abdullah expressed optimism that the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 would be held on schedule this year, unlike last year when inadequate snowfall forced postponement. He added that the upcoming budget of J&K would be “people-friendly,” continuing the government’s focus on easing public hardships. End it —



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