Omar Abdullah's Parliament Protest For J&K's Statehood On Monsoon Session Day 1

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will take the fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and special status to Delhi. After a day-long off-site meeting, the ruling National Conference has decided that Abdullah, his ministers, MLAs, and the party MPs will hold a protest on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

The decision is a clear indication that Abdullah, who had chosen cooperation - and not confrontation - with the centre, appears to be pressing a reset button to reclaim his political agenda.

The meeting was held amid growing discontent among party leaders over the delay in restoration of statehood and political rights to J&K. There is a feeling that the party is losing ground due to its wishy-washy stance on the ideological and political issues after winning a massive mandate in October 2024.

After today's meeting, the party appears to have taken a clear stand on the restoration of special status under Article 370 and statehood. After the elections, the party, particularly the chief minister, has largely remained silent on this issue.

"Detailed deliberations were held on restoration of statehood and special status, unemployment, drug abuse, alcohol issue, reservation policy, regularisation of daily wagers and casual employees, governance, development, and other issues concerning the people of Jammu and Kashmir," the NC said in a statement after the meeting.

The party said that it was "unanimously resolved that JKNC will hold a protest in New Delhi on the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon Session to demand the immediate restoration of Jammu & Kashmir's statehood and constitutional guarantees."

On Wednesday morning, Abdullah took all his party MLAs, MPs, and ministers to a no-network zone at Dachigam National Park about 22 kilometres from the capital Srinagar. The aim was to discuss his future strategy amid growing discontent over a delay in the restoration of statehood and political rights to J&K.

As the MLAs and MPs reached chief minister's private office on Gupkar road, they were boarded onto waiting buses. The group then set out for a destination they had no clue about—the Dachigam National Park. The chief minister, himself, seated on the backseat of the bus, shared pictures on his social media handle. Abdullah said that the meeting was aimed at taking stock of the functioning of his government after 19 months. He called it an off-site.

"We are off for an off-site to spend the day taking stock of the last 19 months - the good, the not so good & everything in between," he posted on X.

While photographs on the chief minister's social media paint a happy picture, there is growing disillusionment among the rank and file of the National Conference over the delay in restoration of statehood and the perception that Abdullah was doing little to change the situation.

Some party leaders have publicly voiced concern about the party's failure to pursue its political agenda after the government's formation in October 2024.

The biggest critic of Omar Abdullah is his party's Srinagar MP, Aga Ruhollah, who has openly accused him of betraying the mandate and asked him to "apologise and resign". Ruhollah was not invited for Wednesday's trip. "I have not been invited for the meeting," Aga Ruhullah told NDTV.

An NC MLA part of the trip said that Omar Abdullah has to pursue the party's political agenda, which has been articulated in the party manifesto in 2024.

Party insiders say that Omar Abdullah is increasingly frustrated after he was repeatedly promised the restoration of statehood by the Centre and assurances that his government would be allowed to function.

"Let me tell you how they (Centre) have reduced the elected government in J&K to a non-entity. Our government doesn't have control even over a patwari. The revenue department is under the elected government, but practically we can't transfer a patwari," said an MLA.

He said that the meeting is about pressing the reset button. "It can't be business as usual. We have to reclaim our politics," he said.