People's Conference president Sajad Gani Lone.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Srinagar: People's Conference chief Sajad Lone on Friday said the delay in granting statehood to Jammu and Kashmir was a "sin" against the people of the Union Territory.
Lone, an MLA from Handwara in north Kashmir, also called for the inclusion of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in all security-related meetings.
"Irrespective of the political differences that we have here amongst us, the Union government needs to move fast on some issues. Delay of even a moment in granting statehood is a sin against the people of Jammu and Kashmir," Lone said in a post on X.
He said statehood is "our right" and not "charity" that the Union government would think upon or ponder.
"Why should they delay it? Why did they take it away in the first place?" Lone asked.
The People's Conference chief said the Supreme Court had left a question unanswered in disposing of the petition on statehood.
"Was the relegation of a state to a Union Territory within the realm of law or outside the realm of law? Why didn't they answer this question? They did not endorse relegation lest it becomes a precedence and yet we are still without a state," he said.
In the interim, until statehood is restored, Lone said the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister should be an inherent part of all meetings related to security as his exclusion was tantamount to "humiliating" the entire electoral exercise.
"The local inputs in strategising on security are indispensable. Whosoever the chief minister is -- the people of Jammu and Kashmir have voted in huge numbers. And the Union Territory status should not be used as an excuse to exclude the (Jammu and Kashmir) government from vital issues. The chief minister should be a part of all deliberations. Exclusion of the chief minister is tantamount to humiliating the entire electoral exercise," he added.
Referring to Abdullah's meetings in Delhi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lone said, "We all know an elected chief minister has to work with the Centre." "They have to go and meet the prime minister or other ministers. But there is a difference between constitutional duties and cheerleading," he said.
"And an unsolicited word of advice for our chief minister. Wish you had not gone too far castigating everybody, accusing everyone of colluding with the BJP. That concept of untouchability, that self-righteous drift and now a glorified cheerleader. That is a total comedown," he added.