‘Feels incomplete…’: Rahul Gandhi calls for statehood restoration as Omar Abdullah is sworn in as J&K Chief Minister
SRINAGAR: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on his swearing-in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, marking the return of an elected government to the Union Territory.
Gandhi used the occasion to renew his call for restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, which was revoked in 2019.
“Congratulations to CM Omar Abdullah and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. However, today’s government formation feels incomplete without the restoration of statehood,” Gandhi posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“Democracy was taken from the people of J&K, and we will continue our fight until statehood is fully restored,” he added
Omar Abdullah replied, thanking Gandhi for his support. “Thank you, Rahul Gandhi, and thank you for being with us today. The people of J&K look to you for continued support as we work towards restoring our statehood. Your presence, along with Priyanka Gandhi, was deeply encouraging, and the family appreciated spending time with both of you.”
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also extended her congratulations to Abdullah and his cabinet, praising the people of Jammu and Kashmir for using their vote to amplify the call for justice and democracy.
She reiterated the Congress party’s commitment, under the INDIA alliance, to restoring the rights of J&K’s citizens.
Omar Abdullah was sworn in by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar, marking his second term as chief minister and the first elected government in J&K since its reorganization following the abrogation of Article 370.
Senior leaders from the INDIA coalition, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, Prakash Karat, and Supriya Sule, attended the event.
Abdullah’s cabinet includes five ministers, with Surinder Choudhary from Jammu serving as deputy chief minister.
When asked about the absence of Congress MLAs in the cabinet, Abdullah clarified that the party isn’t excluded but noted the constraints posed by Jammu and Kashmir’s current unicameral structure and limited cabinet size. (Agencies)
