National Conference vice President Omar Abdullah has said that the election result of the occupied Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is a rejection of what Bharatiya Janata Party has done to the people of the territory.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Omar Abdullah in a media interview in Srinagar said it is a rejection of what was done to the territory on August 5, 2019. ‘And I am also including all the seats outside the BJP’s kitty-whether bagged by independents, the Peoples Democratic Party, or the alliance. This is a rejection of what the BJP did.

To a query about his commitment to pass a resolution in the assembly for the restoration of statehood and against the Article 370 move by the BJP, he said, ‘The resolution should come from the cabinet. Why wait for the assembly?’ The assembly can debate and discuss other things, but the cabinet should be clear on the restoration of statehood, he added.

To another query Omar Abdullah said, ‘In the initial phase, we will do whatever we can. But I don’t believe we will remain a union territory. The prime minister is on record committing statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP has said it is a three-step process: delimitation, elections and statehood. Two steps have been completed; now it’s time for the third. The prime minister has made a public commitment to restoring statehood, and we hope to see that commitment fulfilled.’

He said this government can’t be just for the people who voted for it but it has to be for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. ‘If it only serves those who voted for us, then what about the 70 per cent of Srinagar who didn’t vote at all? People exercised their democratic choice in Jammu, and we respect that,’ he maintained.