Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday petitioned Union home minister Amit Shah again for the restoration of statehood in a meeting in Delhi, the fresh demand coming days after he claimed the BJP would not let his government function smoothly unless it got power in the Union Territory.

Omar has met Shah on multiple occasions to plead for the restoration of statehood, a promise that remains unfulfilled despite Shah assuring Parliament in 2019 during the abrogation of Article 370 that it would be restored at an appropriate time after
normalcy returns. The Centre has since made multiple statements that normalcy
has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Chief Minister met Hon’ble Union Home Minister @AmitShah in New Delhi today and held detailed discussions on a range of important issues concerning Jammu & Kashmir, including restoration of Statehood, Transaction of Business Rules, rationalisation of reservation, and other key governance and public welfare issues,” the chief minister’s office posted on X.

“The meeting also deliberated on the prevailing security and economic situation, with emphasis on ensuring sustained peace, stability and inclusive growth for the people of J&K.”

Before leaving for the national capital, Omar told reporters in Srinagar that he would raise important issues with Shah.

“I wish we could have got statehood after one meeting (with Shah). In that case, we would have got it a long time ago. The process is going on. Whenever we meet, I talk about statehood. At the same time, there are other issues where I need to talk to the home minister sahab, like our business rules, (appointment) of advocate-general, the reservation issue referred to Delhi by LG sahab.”

Rationalisation of reservations is a pressing demand in Kashmir, as it gives general category candidates a smaller share than their population.

Omar, in response to a recent decision of the Centre to hand over telecom powers to LG Manoj Sinha, said there was nothing wrong with it as long as the LG was in charge of the security of the Union Territory.

“This is the right thing. These powers should be with the lieutenant governor. This is not against the business rules or the reorganisation act,” Omar said.

“Home, law and order, security is the responsibility of the LG sahab. It is obvious that if the situation deteriorates somewhere and mobile Internet has to be stopped, the order will be issued by the home department... by the LG.”

The Centre last week authorised the Jammu and Kashmir LG to exercise powers, such as interception of signals, suspension of service and decryption of messages, related to telecom services in the UT during public safety events or national emergencies.

The hybrid power system in Jammu and Kashmir, where the LG enjoys real power, has been a source of strain for years between his administration and the elected government.

Omar is facing criticism for failure to take a stand on the restoration of statehood, limiting himself to occasional reminders to the Centre or raising the matter in speeches, while largely leaving the issue to the goodwill of the central government.