J&K Assembly Passes Resolution on Statehood; BJP MLAs Stage Walkout, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a resolution on Monday, September 28, 2026, seeking the restoration of "full Statehood" for the region.
• Chief Minister Omar Abdullah moved the resolution on September 25, 2026, which garnered support from approximately 60 out of 90 legislators.
• The 29 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators staged a walkout, protesting the resolution and its references to previous autonomy demands.
• The resolution specifically focused on Statehood, with CM Abdullah urging against amendments to include Article 370 or Article 35A to avoid disruption.
• This development follows the Supreme Court's December 2023 directive for the restoration of statehood "at the earliest" after Assembly elections in the Union Territory.

Detailed Insights:

• The resolution was passed amidst uproar and objections from BJP legislators, who questioned the Speaker's decision to allow the motion.
• Chief Minister Omar Abdullah highlighted that the resolution was a demand for justice and a right, not a favour, from the Central Government.
• He criticized the delay in restoring statehood, noting that two years had passed since the Supreme Court's directive for its restoration post-elections.
• The resolution referenced earlier Assembly resolutions from June 26, 2000, and November 6, 2024, which sought greater autonomy and special status, respectively.
• The BJP opposed the resolution, particularly its implied linkage to the erstwhile state's status before August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated.
• The current political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir is that of a Union Territory, established by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Statehood: The constitutional status of a fully self-governing state within the Indian Union, possessing its own legislative assembly and executive powers.
• Article 370: A provision in the Indian Constitution that granted special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, abrogated in August 2019.
• Article 35A: A constitutional provision, stemming from Article 370, that allowed the J&K legislature to define "permanent residents" and grant them special rights and privileges, abolished in 2019.
• Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019: An Act of the Indian Parliament that reorganized the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.