No Eknath Shinde in NC, all MLAs firmly with party: Omar

Says BJP won’t restore statehood until it forms Govt in J&K

Jammu Tawi, May 8: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday ruled out any possibility of a split in the National Conference (NC), asserting that all party legislators stand united.

“There is no Eknath Shinde in the National Conference. All our MLAs are with the party,” Omar told reporters in Srinagar, while responding to remarks from the Leader of Opposition (LoP).

The Chief Minister alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was deliberately delaying restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir for political reasons. He claimed the party would not restore statehood until it forms a government in the Union Territory.

Omar also dismissed speculation that the delay in cabinet expansion was linked to political instability within the ruling alliance. “The cabinet expansion has stopped because we have not been given the status of a state, not because of fear,” he said.

He accused the BJP of using the issue of statehood as a political tool and indulging in “blackmail politics.” According to Omar, recent statements by opposition leaders reflected the BJP’s intentions towards Jammu and Kashmir and its elected government.

Referring to the post-Article 370 delimitation exercise, the Chief Minister alleged that the exercise was conducted to politically benefit the BJP and its allies. “We know how the delimitation was done. It was carried out only to benefit the BJP and its allies,” he said.

Drawing parallels with political developments in Maharashtra and the Shiv Sena split, Omar alleged that the BJP had encouraged defections there as well. He said the LoP in Jammu and Kashmir was “impatient” to occupy the Chief Minister’s chair.

The Chief Minister further said democratic processes should not be stalled when constitutional mechanisms exist to test majority on the floor of the House. Citing Supreme Court judgments and the example of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 13-day government, Omar said the single largest party should always be invited to form the government and prove its majority in the Assembly.