Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday praised Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah for what she described as a “focused” effort to restore the Union territory’s economy — drawing a quick, light-hearted response from him: “Please show me the money ma’am.”
Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Sitharaman reflected on the national economy’s trajectory and highlighted Jammu and Kashmir as an example of targeted interventions. She said the UT’s economy had strengthened under Central administration, citing improvements such as the “restoration of the J-K Bank” and a push to examine “granular details” of local financial hurdles.
She added, however, that the progress took “a major hit” when tourism — a crucial pillar of the region’s economy — “came to a standstill” due to external factors, indirectly referencing cross-border tensions and attacks, including the April 22 Pahalgam incident.
“I must appreciate the chief minister of J-K who met me twice, focused on restoring the economy after the tourism sector came to a standstill,” she said.
Responding at the same summit, Abdullah thanked her for her “kind” words and then offered his quip about money being “in extremely short supply.” He acknowledged that his remarks about the Centre’s helpfulness might not please every constituent but said he stood firmly behind his decisions.
“Good, bad, ugly… I have never shied away from taking responsibility for what I have done,” he said. “And, therefore, if I have pivoted my government or my politics to ensure a good working relationship with the government of India, I own that. And I will own its consequences.”
It is important to understand that a good working relationship with the Centre does not mean that his party has any alliance with the BJP, he said.
"I do not see eye to eye with the BJP. I will continue to oppose the politics of the BJP. But at the same time, I will seek to work with the government of India as best possible," Abdullah said.
On his relation with J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Abdullah said it is a work in progress and "we will leave it at that".
