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Congress MP Manish Tewari ‘empathises' with CM Omar Abdullah after J&K statehood remark
Omar Abdullah announced a signature campaign demanding Jammu and Kashmir statehood and said his hope for change was beginning to dim.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari on Saturday backed Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah’s criticism of the Union territory’s governance, calling the dual administration system “structurally built for failure.”
During his first Independence Day speech since returning as chief minister, Abdullah made one of his sharpest remarks on the non-restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
He described the dual governance system as structured “not for success” but “for failure” and, for the first time, addressed his government’s decisions that remain stalled with the Raj Bhavan.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Manish Tewari wrote, “I can empathise with Omar Abdullah. As an MP from a Union Territory with just a Municipal Corporation and not even a legislative assembly, unlike Jammu & Kashmir, Puducherry, or even the NCT of Delhi, this system of diarchy is systemically and structurally built for failure and not success. It is a completely unworkable model of governance.”
At Bakshi Stadium, Abdullah announced a signature campaign demanding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and questioned the prolonged delay. He said well-wishers had assured him of significant change, but admitted his hope was beginning to wane.
“We waited impatiently for that speech,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address.
“I was even told that the documents are being prepared… We waited. It did not happen. The truth is that the ray of light has started to fade,” he added.
However, Abdullah stressed that he is not “helpless” and refused to accept the status quo.
Reacting to CJI BR Gavai's reference to the Pahalgam attack in statehood deliberations, Omar Abdullah called it “unfortunate” and directly challenged the notion of allowing terror to dictate the region’s political future.
“Will the killers of Pahalgam and their masters in the neighbouring country decide whether we will be a state?” he asked.
“Every time we are close to statehood, they will do something to sabotage it. Is this fair? Why are we being punished for a crime in which we had no role?” he added.
