Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has strongly criticised the current administrative arrangement in the Union Territory, describing it as the “worst form of government” and renewing his demand for full statehood. He, however, said that discussions with the Centre on the rules governing administrative powers have made notable progress.
Speaking to PTI, Abdullah said efforts were being made by certain groups to create a divide between Jammu and Srinagar, but insisted such attempts had failed. He also pointed to the revival of the traditional biannual “Darbar Move” as an important step in strengthening unity between the two regions.
Demand for full authority for elected government
Abdullah stressed that a governance model where elected representatives are not fully in charge of administration does not work for a region like Jammu and Kashmir. According to him, the scale and political structure of the Union Territory require complete responsibility to rest with the elected government.
Referring to the current arrangement, he questioned its logic compared to other Union Territories with smaller assemblies.
“Can you not see the difference between a tiny one with 30 MLAs and one with 90 MLAs? And you still believe that this current system is beneficial to Jammu and Kashmir after everything that happened last year?” he asked while referring to the Pahalgham tragedy.
Abdullah calls for ending dual power structure
The J-K CM also argued that keeping elected representatives away from key decisions related to law and order weakens governance and does not serve the interests of the region. Reiterating his position, he said a dual power structure creates confusion and inefficiency.
“I continue to maintain that view. I continue to believe that a system of Union territory with an assembly is by far the worst form of government that you can come up with,” he said.
He added that meaningful governance in Jammu and Kashmir can only be achieved when elected representatives are given full authority over administration.
