Srinagar, Sep 30: In a sharp political assertion, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday declared that he would prefer to resign rather than enter into an alliance with the BJP in pursuit of hastening statehood for the Union Territory.
Speaking at an event in Achabal area of Anantnag district, Abdullah made it clear that he would not make political compromises over the sensitive issue of statehood.
“If you (people) are ready, then tell me, because I am not ready to make that trade. If it is needed to include the BJP in the government, then accept my resignation. Make any MLA here the chief minister and form the government with the BJP,” Abdullah asserted before the gathering.
Reflecting on the political choices before him, Abdullah admitted that an alliance with the BJP might have quickened the restoration of statehood but insisted such a move was unacceptable to him.
“Should we have included the BJP in the government? There was a possibility that by including the BJP in the government, we could have got a gift. They would have granted the statehood to us sooner,” he remarked.
Abdullah’s remarks come at a time when the restoration of statehood remains a central demand of mainstream political parties in J&K, even as the Union government has promised its return at an appropriate time.
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