At a landmark event in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, using the opportunity to renew his call for restoring statehood to J&K. His comments, laced with both personal reflection and political urgency, came during the launch of major infrastructure projects worth ₹46,000 crore in the region.
Abdullah highlighted a striking contrast in political trajectories since 2014, when he, PM Modi, Jeetendra Singh, and Manoj Sinha had attended the inauguration of the Katra railway station. At the time:
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Modi had just become Prime Minister,
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Jeetendra Singh was Minister of State in the PMO,
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Manoj Sinha was MoS Railways,
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and Omar Abdullah was Chief Minister of then full-fledged Jammu and Kashmir state.
Now, Abdullah noted wryly, Sinha has been "promoted" to Lieutenant Governor, while he himself has been "demoted" to Chief Minister of a Union Territory, following the revocation of Article 370 and the state's bifurcation in 2019.
He added, with cautious optimism:
“I believe it will not take long to rectify it... Jammu and Kashmir will again get the statehood under your (Modi’s) watch only.”
Key Highlights from the Event:
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PM Modi inaugurated the iconic Chenab Bridge, the Anji Bridge, and the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL).
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He also flagged off the first Vande Bharat Express to Kashmir, a long-awaited milestone in Kashmir’s connectivity to the rest of India.
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Abdullah acknowledged the historic importance of the railway project, saying it fulfilled a dream dating back to British colonial rule, which had failed to connect Kashmir via rail despite plans.
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He also paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, crediting him for declaring the Kashmir rail link a "project of national importance" and pushing for its progress through budgetary allocations.
Significance:
Abdullah's remarks underscore the continued political demand for restoration of J&K’s statehood, even as the region witnesses unprecedented infrastructure development. His appeal to Modi—framed with both praise and pointed observation—signals a nuanced attempt to blend development with democratic aspirations, amid an evolving political climate in the Union Territory.
