‘L-G got promoted, I got demoted’: Omar Abdullah raises J&K statehood demand before PM Modi

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while sharing the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, openly raised the issue of restoring full statehood to the Union Territory. Referring to the 2019 move that downgraded J&K to a Union Territory, Abdullah said he had been “demoted” from being the chief minister of a state to that of a UT.

Speaking at a public event, Abdullah recounted his long association with various railway projects in J&K, noting how he and Modi had worked together since the inauguration of the Anantnag Railway Station. He said, “The same four people were there in 2014 when Katra Railway Station was inaugurated… Back then, Manoj Sinha was MoS Railways. He got promoted as L-G, I got demoted as CM of a UT.”

Despite the political undertone, Abdullah added that he was hopeful the situation would change. “Things will get back to normal before we know it, and J&K will be given the status of a state by PM Narendra Modi,” he said, expressing confidence in the restoration of democratic structures.

His remarks come at a time when political parties in J&K are renewing calls for elections and restoration of statehood, nearly six years after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the region in 2019.