No Eknath Shinde in National Conference, all MLAs united: Omar Abdullah

• BJP will not let J&K work till it gets power here: Omar Abdullah
• Statehood being used to threaten people of Jammu and Kashmir: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar, May 08: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday strongly rejected speculation over any division within the National Conference, asserting that all party legislators were united and there was “no Eknath Shinde in the NC.”

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of indulging in what he described as “blackmail politics” over the issue of restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. He said the delay in cabinet expansion was not because of any internal fear or political instability within the ruling National Conference, but because Jammu and Kashmir continues to remain a Union Territory.

Responding to remarks made by the Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the Chief Minister said such statements only reflected the BJP’s political impatience. “It is obvious that the Leader of Opposition is impatient to sit on the chair of Jammu and Kashmir’s minister,” Abdullah said.

He made it clear that the National Conference was not facing any threat from within and that its MLAs stood firmly together. Drawing a sharp comparison with political developments in Maharashtra, Abdullah said, “There is no Eknath Shinde in the National Conference.” His remarks were aimed at dismissing any possibility of a split or rebellion within the party.

The Chief Minister also linked the delay in cabinet expansion directly with the present constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the expansion had been held back because full statehood had not yet been restored. “Cabinet expansion has stopped because we have not been given the status of a state. It has not stopped because of fear,” he asserted.

Abdullah further alleged that the BJP was deliberately trying to create hurdles in the smooth functioning of the elected government. He said the opposition’s repeated statements indicated that the BJP would not allow the elected government to function properly unless it was able to form a government of its own in Jammu and Kashmir.

“LoP sahib proves with his statements that until the BJP gets a government here, they will not let us work properly and they will not make Jammu and Kashmir a state,” Abdullah said.

Referring to the issue of delimitation, the Chief Minister alleged that the exercise in Jammu and Kashmir was carried out with political motives. He claimed that the delimitation process had benefited the BJP and its allies, while the people and political forces in Jammu and Kashmir had to suffer its consequences.

“We suffered their delimitation and we know about delimitation. It was done only to benefit the BJP and BJP’s friends,” he said.

Abdullah also accused the BJP of using the promise of statehood as a pressure tactic against the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the people were being threatened in the name of statehood and those who had voted for the BJP in the last election must now understand the nature of the party’s politics.

According to him, the BJP’s approach showed that the restoration of statehood was being treated not as a constitutional and democratic obligation, but as a political bargaining tool. He said such tactics were unfair to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who had participated in the democratic process with the hope that their rights and institutions would be fully restored.

The Chief Minister also referred to Supreme Court observations and past precedents relating to government formation. He said that wherever necessary, the single largest party should be invited to form the government and must be given a chance to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.

“There is no reason to stop this process. The BJP should be allowed to form a government. If they prove their majority in the Assembly, they will remain. If they do not prove it, they will have to resign,” Abdullah said.