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National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah has said the first priority for the new government in Jammu and Kashmir would be to unite the people of the two regions of the Union Territory and get rid of the “hatred” that was “pushed” in the recently-held Assembly polls.
He also said restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be on the new government’s agenda.
“Our first priority will be to unite Jammu and Kashmir and remove the hatred that was pushed in this election,” Abdullah told reporters after participating in the Dussehra celebrations , according to PTI report.
The NC-Congress alliance has staked claim to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir after securing a clear majority in the polls. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and several Independent legislators have extended support to the coalition.
Chief minister-designate Omar Abdullah met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday and requested him to fix the date for the swearing-in ceremony at the earliest.
Asked if restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would also be a priority for the new government, the NC chief said it is already on the agenda.
“We are already requesting that statehood must be restored so that the state can work and we can get on with our job,” he added.
The BJP-led Centre abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which had given special rights to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into Union territories. Abdullah said Dussehra celebrates the victory of truth over falsehood.
“The biggest message from this is that lies get defeated and the truth wins. You yourself saw how lies were burning and truth was rising. This was their lesson and Lord Ram had also said the same,” the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
