Omar Abdullah’s Statement Following Supreme Court’s Verdict on Article 370 Abrogation: Disappointment, Resilience, and Continued Struggle

Abdullah took a swipe at the BJP and said it took decades for the party to reach Jammu and Kashmir, while vowing to continue the struggle.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said he is “disappointed” by the Supreme Court’s judgment on the viability of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Consitution, however, he is “not disheartened”.

“It took the BJP decades to reach here. We are also prepared for the long haul,” the former chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir wrote on X.

In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, writing the judgment for himself and Justices Gavai and Surya Kant, said Article 370 of the Constitution was a temporary provision and the president has the power to revoke it.

Meanwhile, leaders from other Opposition parties also expressed their disappointment following the verdict. Senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the ruling was “sad and unfortunate, people of J&K not happy with it, but we have to accept it.”

However, senior Congress leader and son of the erstwhile king of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh, Karan Singh, welcomed the move and suggested those opposing the abrogation of the Article by saying that there’s “no point now unnecessarily hitting their head against the wall” after the matter has been upheld by the top court.

“A section of people in J&K who will not be happy with this judgment, my sincere advice is that they should accept the inevitable and they should accept the fact that now this has been done and the Supreme Court has upheld the action and therefore there’s no point now unnecessarily hitting their head against the wall. Now my suggestion is that they should turn their energies towards fighting the next elections. That is where the people should now be motivated instead of developing any negativity,” he said.

The apex court also directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct legislative elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.

“I think elections should be held, people cannot be deprived of having their electoral representatives and the statehood must be restored immediately,” said Congress MP Karti Chidambaram.