J&K Assembly Erupts as BJP Protests Omar Abdullah's Statehood Resolution

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly descended into chaos on Friday after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah moved a resolution demanding the immediate restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory. BJP MLAs, led by Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma, rushed into the well of the House in protest, raising slogans against the ruling National Conference and branding the resolution "anti-national."

The resolution, tabled on the fourth day of the autumn session, calls upon the Government of India to urgently restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and resolves that the document be forwarded to the Centre. It notes that the demand builds on two earlier resolutions passed by the Assembly — one on June 26, 2000, and another on November 6, 2024.

The 2000 resolution, moved when Farooq Abdullah was chief minister, was an autonomy resolution that urged the Centre to revert to the pre-1953 constitutional position, including the reintroduction of the titles Wazir-e-Azam and Sadr-e-Risayat for the region's top political leaders. The November 2024 resolution, passed by voice vote in the first session of the Assembly after the 2024 elections, sought a dialogue for the restoration of special status and constitutional guarantees, with all parties except the BJP supporting it.

The BJP's primary objection centred on the mention of the 2000 autonomy resolution. After the Speaker asked the Chief Minister to clarify his position, Omar Abdullah said the new resolution neither replaces nor subsumes the earlier ones. He explained that omitting the two past resolutions could invite criticism that the House had abandoned other demands while pursuing statehood alone.

"This resolution simply calls on the Government of India to fulfil its commitment and restore full statehood to J&K," he said, adding that he did not want a "half state" or statehood without law and order. "We were promised a full state, and we want that returned." He also requested the Speaker to allot time for a discussion on the resolution.

Sunil Sharma countered that the autonomy resolution had been "rejected and torn up" by the BJP, and said reviving it along with the 2024 special-status resolution was "controversial and unacceptable" to his party. "We will not tolerate it," he said. The LoP also challenged the Congress to clarify its stand, asking whether it supported the pre-1953 position, Article 370 and the government. He accused the National Conference government of losing its grip on governance and said the resolution was brought to garner sympathy in Kashmir, vowing that the BJP would not allow any debate on autonomy or Article 370.

As the confrontation between the treasury and opposition benches continued, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the House for the day.