SRINAGAR, August 6, 2025: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said he will raise the demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood during the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled in Delhi on Thursday.
Responding to questions about Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s recent letter addressed to the presidents of 42 political parties—including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge—urging them to support statehood legislation in Parliament, Farooq said, “I will be attending the meeting in Delhi tomorrow. This issue will be raised there. The Congress and other parties have supported us before and I hope they will continue to do so.”
He also pointed out that the Supreme Court is expected to hear the statehood case on Friday, August 8. “Let’s wait for what the court decides,” he added.
Commenting on the criticism from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the NC chief blamed the PDP for aligning with the BJP and paving the way for the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.
“They are the ones who brought misfortune to Jammu and Kashmir. Had Mufti Mohammad Sayeed accepted our and Congress’s support, there would have been no alliance with the BJP. We had offered support without asking for ministries,” Abdullah said.
He added that the PDP is now trying to mislead the public, saying, “They’ve been politically drowned before, and they will be drowned again.”
