Opposed Ladakh’s separation, calls for merit-based judiciary selections, hopeful Khelo India Games will be held on time
Gulmarg, Jan 25: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said it was a positive development if the BJP has dropped any agenda of carving out Jammu as a separate state, asserting that the debate was originally initiated by the BJP and its allies.
Responding to claims that the demand for Jammu’s separation came from the National Conference, Omar said it was BJP legislators who sparked the issue. “We never wanted Jammu and Kashmir to be separated,” he said, reiterating his party’s consistent stand on maintaining the region’s unity.
The Chief Minister also recalled his party’s opposition to the separation of Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir, saying he still believes Ladakh should be reintegrated with J&K. “We were against Ladakh being separated then, and we continue to believe it should be part of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
On the controversy surrounding judiciary selection results, where a majority of candidates are from the Jammu region, Omar cautioned against politicising merit. “Such matters should not be viewed through the prism of region or religion. In medical selections, the trend was once the opposite. We must stop politicising merit,” he said.
He added that the government is open to investigation if there are genuine allegations of wrongdoing. “If there is proof of fraud, we will investigate. But politics should not be played over merit,” he warned, recalling that similar politics in the past had led to the closure of a medical college in Jammu.
Omar expressed optimism about the Khelo India Winter Games being held on schedule this year, citing fresh snowfall after last year’s postponement due to insufficient snow.
During his visit to Gulmarg, he reviewed issues related to snow clearance, power supply disruptions and technical glitches in the newly launched ski lift, assuring that faults would be addressed promptly. “I won’t leave until the problem is resolved,” he said.
