J&K Assembly Passes Statehood Resolution Amid BJP Protests

The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a resolution calling for the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory, amid strong protests and a walkout by BJP legislators.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had moved the resolution on September 25, but the discussion was deferred after several members sought to speak on the issue. The House took up the resolution again on Monday after the listed business was completed.

The resolution calls upon the Government of India to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and states that it should be forwarded to the Centre.

BJP Protests Over Autonomy References

The BJP strongly objected to references in the resolution to earlier Assembly resolutions on autonomy and special status.

BJP legislators entered the well of the House, raised slogans and protested during the proceedings. The party has maintained that it supports restoration of statehood but opposes bringing issues linked to autonomy, Article 370 and the pre-2019 constitutional position into the resolution.

Opposition leader Sunil Sharma said the BJP was in favour of statehood but objected to the language used in the resolution, arguing that the references went beyond the issue of restoring statehood.

The BJP eventually walked out of the Assembly as the resolution was put to vote.

Omar Abdullah Questions Delay In Statehood Restoration

During the debate, Omar Abdullah questioned the delay in restoring statehood and referred to the Supreme Court's direction that the process should take place at the earliest.

The Chief Minister argued that delimitation and Assembly elections had already taken place and said people had participated in the electoral process with the expectation that statehood would subsequently be restored.

Abdullah also raised administrative concerns linked to the Union Territory structure, including the functioning of the elected government and pending institutional arrangements.

Earlier Resolutions Also Mentioned

The resolution refers to two earlier decisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

One was passed on June 26, 2000, during Farooq Abdullah's tenure and sought restoration of greater autonomy. The other was passed on November 6, 2024, after the formation of the current elected government and sought restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

Several legislators had moved amendments seeking explicit references to autonomy, Article 370 and other aspects of Jammu and Kashmir's pre-August 2019 position.

Abdullah, however, urged members not to press those amendments, saying they could give the BJP an opportunity to oppose the resolution. The amendments were subsequently not pressed and the original resolution was taken up for voting.

Resolution Passed By Voice Vote

The resolution was passed by voice vote while BJP members continued their protest and then walked out of the House. The Assembly was later adjourned and is scheduled to meet again on Tuesday.

The passage of the resolution does not itself restore statehood, as the demand is directed towards the Government of India. The political dispute in the Assembly centred on both the restoration of statehood and the references to Jammu and Kashmir's earlier autonomy and special-status arrangements.