Srinagar, Oct 16: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday congratulated National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on his swearing-in as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Congratulations to CM Omar Abdullah and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. However, government formation without statehood felt incomplete today,” Rahul Gandhi posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Democracy was snatched from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and today we renew our pledge to continue our fight until statehood is fully restored.”
Abdullah replied: “Thank you very much Rahul Gandhi & thank you for joining us today. The people of J&K look towards you for your continued support as we work to get our statehood back. Your presence today along with Priyanka Gandhi gave us a lot of encouragement & the family was really happy to get to spend some time with both of you.”
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took to X to extend her congratulations to Omar Abdullah and the members of his newly formed cabinet.
“Many congratulations to the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Omar Abdullah Ji, and all the members of his cabinet. Thank you to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for raising the voice of justice and democracy with the power of your vote. Best wishes for the future,” she wrote.
“The ‘INDIA’ coalition government will work with full dedication to restoring the pending rights of the people as well as to fulfill all its promises and people’s aspirations,” she added, in an obvious reference to J&K’s statehood.
Omar Abdullah took the oath of office at a ceremony in Srinagar, administered by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. This marks Abdullah’s second term as chief minister, and he now leads the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since its reorganization into a Union Territory following the abrogation of Article 370.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by several leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Prakash Karat of CPI(M), and Supriya Sule of the NCP.
