All eyes on Omar Abdullah's closed-door MLA meet amid statehood, revolt speculation

Political circles in Jammu and Kashmir are rife with speculation over possible developments in the Union Territory after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called a meeting of National Conference (NC) MLAs and independent legislators supporting his government at his residence in Srinagar on Wednesday morning.

The sudden move has triggered intense political gossip, with questions being raised about whether the chief minister is preparing to make a significant political announcement in the coming weeks.

Omar Abdullah, who is also the vice-president of the National Conference, has written to all party MLAs and four independent legislators asking them to attend the meeting scheduled for 10 am on Wednesday. While the agenda has not been made public, the letter described the meeting as one to discuss “matters of collective importance and issues concerning public welfare” and stressed that attendance was mandatory.

The chief minister has invited independent MLAs Pyare Lal Sharma from Inderwal, Muzaffar Khan from Thanamandi, Dr Rameshwar Singh from Bani and Choudhary Akram from Surankote to the meeting.

CONGRESS MLAS NOT INVITED

What has added to the intrigue is the absence of Congress legislators from the invite list. The National Conference and Congress contested the 2024 Assembly elections as allies. However, after the polls, Congress decided not to join the government and instead extended outside support, saying it would consider joining the ministry only after Jammu and Kashmir's statehood was restored.

BUZZ OVER STATEHOOD RESTORATION DEMAND

Speculation over the meeting has also been fuelled by Omar Abdullah’s recent remarks in north Kashmir’s Tangmarg. Addressing students during the inauguration of a college on May 6, he said he wanted “to burst like a cloudburst” but did not want to indulge in politics at a student function. He also hinted that he would make a major statement soon.

Several reports suggest that restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood could dominate discussions at the meeting. Some party leaders are believed to be pushing the government to pursue the issue more aggressively with the Centre.

The issue has gained prominence amid differences between NC MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi and the Omar Abdullah government over matters including statehood and the rationalisation of Jammu and Kashmir’s reservation policy, which has crossed the 50 per cent mark.

Despite growing speculation, Omar Abdullah has remained tight-lipped about the purpose of the meeting. In a post on X, he said, “I love how the people who know the least about the meeting I’ve called with my MLAs are talking the most. Remember one thing - those who know don’t speak & those who speak sit in the opposition.”

The political buzz has intensified further with BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma camping in Srinagar. Sharma launched a sharp attack on the chief minister and claimed that the National Conference government would “collapse on its own”. He alleged that Omar Abdullah had convened the meeting in an attempt “to save a sinking ship”.

In a subsequent statement, Sharma said, “Remember my prediction: no one, even from the next generations of the Abdullah family, would resign. The Abdullah family is seated on the Chief Minister’s chair. God forbid, if Jammu & Kashmir gets Hill Council on the pattern of Ladakh, and Omar becomes an executive councillor, he still wouldn’t resign from that position.”

The National Conference has strongly rejected suggestions that its government is under threat. Party leaders have asserted that Omar Abdullah enjoys the confidence of all NC legislators and that there is no sign of any rebellion within the party.

“National Conference is a party of principles, commitment and loyalty. It was strong yesterday and remains strong today. Attempts to weaken it have failed before and will continue to fail,” NC MLA and party chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary also dismissed Sharma’s claims, saying the BJP leader was trying to remain in the headlines. “No one can topple our government. We are not a nominated government. We have been elected by the people of J&K. Only people have the power to change the governments. No one is going to leave NC,” he said.

For now, Omar Abdullah continues to enjoy a comfortable majority in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. The majority mark is 46. The National Conference has 41 MLAs, while the BJP has 29. Congress has six legislators, PDP four, CPM one, AAP one, JKPC one and seven are Independents.

The ruling side’s strength stands at 53, comprising 41 NC MLAs, six Congress legislators providing outside support, five Independents and one CPM MLA. If Congress and the supporting Independents withdraw their backing, the Omar Abdullah government would lose its majority.

Rumours of a possible BJP-led “Operation Lotus” have also been circulating in political circles. However, no NC MLA has publicly indicated any intention to revolt against the party. At the same time, some BJP leaders claim that a section of NC legislators is unhappy with the functioning of the Omar Abdullah government.

With the chief minister refusing to reveal the agenda and political parties trading barbs, all eyes are now on Wednesday’s meeting, which has become the centre of speculation over the future political course of Jammu and Kashmir.

- Ends