Jammu and Kashmir's deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary on Tuesday ruled out the resignation of chief minister Omar Abdullah amid mounting criticism that his government had failed to deliver on its poll promises.

Choudhary’s comment came on a day the cabinet led by Omar recommended that lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha convene the autumn session of the Assembly from October 13 to 20.

The Opposition and the ruling NC’s Srinagar MP, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, have in recent weeks accused Omar of failing to assert his authority before the LG or taking on Delhi to fulfil its promise of restoring statehood.

Several civil society leaders have also joined the criticism. Fayaz Malik, a leader of a north Kashmir-based apple growers’ union, recently asked Omar to resign if he was not in a position to address their concerns.

The apple growers were outraged over the weeks-long closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to landslides, leading to massive losses to the industry.

Choudhary on Tuesday said some people wanted them to resign. “We want to tell them we are not among those (who give up by resigning). We are workers of Sher-e-Kashmir (Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah). We will fight for our people,” he told reporters in Ganderbal.

Choudhary said people would have to understand that there were two power centres in Jammu and Kashmir, one elected by the people and another “appointed” by the Centre. “We do not have a free hand as we still have a dual governance system in which there is an elected government and an appointed administration,” he said.