Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is expected to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday to discuss a range of key issues, including the early restoration of statehood, official sources said.
This will be Omar’s second meeting with the Home Minister since assuming office as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory.
Sources indicate that Omar, who received “positive assurances” during his first meeting, remains optimistic that the Union Government will fulfill its promise of restoring statehood at the earliest. However, while the Union Government has repeatedly assured its commitment to the restoration of statehood, it has yet to provide a concrete timeline for the same.
In addition to statehood, Omar is likely to raise concerns regarding administrative issues of dual control during his meeting with the Home Minister.
Even after more than two months in power, the Jammu and Kashmir is without the Transaction of Business Rules (TBR) that would delineate the powers of the elected government and it’s power over various departments and administrative matters. The absence of the Business rules is creating a friction between Omar Abdullah-led elected government and the Lieutenant Governor -led administration.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed frustration with the delay, calling the dual governance model in the Union Territory—where power is shared between the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor—a “recipe for disaster”.
“No organisation works well if there are multiple power centres,” Abdullah said. There is a reason why a sports team has one captain, or why most of India has one elected Chief Minister empowered with their cabinet to take decisions.”
Earlier this week, Abdullah said the dual power structure was unacceptable and unhelpful for the region’s governance. Urging the Centre to fulfil its promise, he pointed out that it has been over a year since the Supreme Court asked the government to restore statehood.
“One year is enough to restore statehood,” he said. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have already elected their government and it is time for the Centre to act.”
Also recent remarks by Shah suggest that the restoration of statehood may remain on the backburner for now. That is likely to exacerbate the rift between Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha, who controls key levers of power. Observers opine that in the coming days, the rift between the chief minister and the lieutenant governor is likely to widen further, potentially affecting decision-making processes and governance in the region.
Chief Minister Omar also reiterated his government’s commitment to unbiased governance, emphasizing that decisions would not be influenced by political affiliations or party lines.
He urged officers to address public issues brought forth by elected representatives with seriousness and urgency.