PM Modi, Amit Shah only can restore J&K statehood: CM Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the decision on restoring statehood to the Union Territory can be taken only by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He said this was the reason his party held a protest in Delhi on the issue.

Abdullah made the remarks while responding to a reported statement by Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma, who claimed that neither statehood nor Article 370 would be restored in Jammu and Kashmir. The chief minister also spoke about demands raised by cricket bat manufacturers during his visit to a manufacturing hub in Anantnag district.

"The decision on restoration of statehood can be taken by only two persons – the prime minister and the home minister. That is why we



held the protest for statehood in Delhi," Abdullah told reporters in Anantnag district.

Referring to Sharma's reported statement, Abdullah said, "He issues 10 statements every day. I don't have so much free time. I don't think they (Modi and Shah) will consult him on these issues." He also said Sharma would one day wake up and read in the newspapers that statehood had been restored.

Abdullah, along with Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary and Forest Minister Javed Rana, visited the Halmulla cricket bat manufacturing hub in Anantnag and interacted with the bat manufacturers' association. "They had three main demands, and we have promised to find a way for all three. Their major demand is ensuring the supply of raw material, which is under stress," he said.