Lost huge political capital due to non-restoration of statehood to J&K says Omar Abdullah

Voicing deep frustration over the delay in restoring promised statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the "anger and disappointment" over the issue is not only directed at the Modi government but that he himself has lost "huge political capital" because of it.

Abdullah said the prolonged delay had led to public disappointment in J-K that extends beyond the Centre, while acknowledging his own political credibility had taken a severe hit as he continues to "pay the price for sins that are not mine".

"I put a huge amount of my own political credibility at stake for this. I know for a fact that I've eroded a large part of it," Abdullah told journalist Karan Thapar in an interview for The Wire. "I will pay the price for sins that are not mine, and again, I will carry that cross because it's mine to bear," he said.

Criticising the Centre's undefined timeline for restoring statehood at an "appropriate time", he likened the process to a moving target. "It's like running a marathon. Instead of completing it in 42 km, every time you reach near the finishing line, they keep shifting it," he said, urging the Centre to define clear parameters.

Abdullah also rejected the argument that statehood cannot be restored until terrorism is eradicated, saying his elected government has no control over the security apparatus. "You're effectively punishing a government that has no role in this... we have absolutely nothing to do with the anti-terror mechanism that is in place in J-K right now," he said, arguing this effectively transfers the decision "from our capital to Islamabad".

Calling a Union territory with an Assembly an "abomination", he noted key institutions, including the JK Power Development Corporation and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, remain under the lieutenant governor's authority. "There is no worse form of government than a Union territory with an Assembly," he said, adding that his Cabinet lacks authority to select even its own administrative secretaries.

Responding to critics who say he has muted his stance on Article 370, Abdullah said statehood is a legal prerequisite for restoring it. "How can you have a state list when you are not a state? Statehood has to come before (Article) 370 can be restored," he said.

He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally backed the commitment to restore statehood, calling it a "Modi Ka Wada" rather than a routine promise, and said the continued delay brings into question the Union government's accountability.

Admitting he had personally lost "huge political capital" by trusting the Centre's assurances, Abdullah said the disappointment in Jammu and Kashmir is palpable, and urged the Modi government to stand by its commitments to Parliament, the judiciary and the people of the region. He added that his government would continue to press the demand through political dialogue, street protests and demonstrations in the national capital.