‘For the next eight weeks,’ he declared, ‘we will travel across all 90 constituencies.’
Srinagar: On the morning of Independence Day, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir stood once again at Bakshi Stadium. Eleven years ago, he had addressed the gathering as the elected head of a state. Today, he spoke as the Chief Minister of a Union Territory.
This time, there was no talk of development, progress, or celebration. Instead, he opened with an announcement: a signature campaign.
“For the next eight weeks,” he declared, “we will travel across all 90 constituencies. We will go to every village and every mohalla. We will ask for one thing—the restoration of statehood.”
The campaign, he stressed, was not about power or position. “If we fail, I will accept that. But I believe the people want their state back. We will take these signatures to Delhi, to the court. Only then will I rest.”
The Chief Minister began his speech by referring to the cloudburst in Kishtwar, which left over 60 dead and more than 100 injured. Rescue operations, he said, were still underway.
He offered condolences to the victims’ families and promised government support. But he also said the administration would investigate whether there had been any lapses. “We owe that to the people,” he noted.
Midway through his address, Abdullah reflected on how times had changed. “I was confused about what to say,” he admitted. “The last time I stood here, I was Chief Minister of a state. We had an Assembly that made decisions and a Cabinet that implemented them. We had our flag, our constitution, and our laws.”
He paused before adding, “Today, I am Chief Minister of a Union Territory.”
The difference, he explained, was not just in name but in practice. “Cabinet decisions are passed but many don’t get cleared. Some files don’t return. Some disappear.”
Though advised that the UT transition would be smooth, he confessed, “It is more difficult than I thought.”
Abdullah pointed to a recent Supreme Court observation: the bureaucracy must answer to the government, and the government to the people. “But here, that chain is broken,” he said.
According to him, officials are not answerable to the elected government, widening the gap between the administration and the people. “This UT system cannot function in its current form. If the government is elected, then it must have the right to govern.”
Addressing a recent Supreme Court hearing on statehood, Abdullah recalled references to the Pahalgam attack. “We were told that the Pahalgam incident cannot be ignored. I agree. But should we be punished for it again?” he asked.
He reminded the audience that the attackers had already been dealt with under Operation Sindoor. “Now that same attack is being used to delay statehood. This was not the fault of an elected government. Over the years, we reduced such incidents not by chance, but by hard work.”
He stressed that the people of J&K had always stood with victims, never with attackers. “This should not be used as an excuse to deny us our rights.”
The Chief Minister listed achievements made in areas like youth schemes, health, and education. The Assembly, he said, had passed resolutions on Article 370, development funds, and local governance.
But he admitted their impact was limited. “We are accountable to the Assembly, and MLAs are accountable to the people. But where is the accountability of the administration?”
He acknowledged that many had hoped for a positive announcement from New Delhi this Independence Day. “Even I hoped. But nothing came. Again.” His voice softened as he asked the audience, “Are we better now? After six years of silence, are we?”
There was no reply.
Abdullah ended his speech with a plan: the signature campaign would be taken to all 20 districts. Party workers and representatives would go door-to-door, collecting both signatures and thumb impressions from those unable to write.
“We have tried everything—letters, meetings, resolutions,” he said. “Now we will visit every Assembly segment, every household. No individual will be left out.”
He reminded the audience that the Supreme Court had set an eight-week timeline on statehood deliberations. “We will not let these weeks go to waste. This is the people’s cause, and we will take it forward together.”
