Will work with all for J&K statehood: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that his government will work to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir “at an early opportunity,” seven months after moving to divest its special status under the Constitution and reorganise it into two Union territories.
The Prime Minister made the statement at a meeting with a 24-member delegation of the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, led by its leader Altaf Bukhari, a day after setting free former chief minister Farooq Abdullah from detention under the tough Public Safety Act .
At the meeting at his residence on Saturday evening, Modi engaged with the delegation on issues including concerns on demographic change, a delimitation exercise in the newly formed Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and grant of state domicile. “Referring to his statement in Parliament, the Prime Minister underlined that the government will work with all sections of the population to realize the hopes of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir at an early opportunity,” said an official statement released after the meeting.
At the interactive session with the delegation, the Prime Minister also called for ‘Janbhagidari’ (people’s participation) in transforming Jammu and Kashmir and emphasised the importance of an administration that gives the people of the region a voice. He also said democracy in the region could be strengthened through rapid political integration, the statement said.
The formation of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party and the recent release of some detained political leaders including Abdullah have been seen as a possible prelude to the initiation of a political process in the erstwhile state, where a coalition government between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP collapsed in June 2018 after the BJP ended the alliance.
Bukhari told Hindustan Times that the meeting with Modi was encouraging. “We are satisfied and positive after this meeting.I told PM Modi that there are apprehensions among the people that their land and jobs will be taken away and the PM assured us that nothing will happen to the land and jobs of people and bills will be passed to safeguard both very soon. I also raised issue of leaders and common people who are in different jails in the country,” Bukhari said.