Srinagar: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood will be restored but stopped short of providing a timeline, leaving the ruling National Conference (NC) in a fresh quandary over the region’s political future.
Despite the NC’s repeated pleas for clarity, Rijiju stuck to the central government’s familiar stance, stating that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have assured statehood will be reinstated “in due course of time.” However, when pressed for a definite timeframe, he offered none.
“The prime minister and the home minister have already made their position clear that statehood will be restored at the appropriate time, with well-defined powers and functions,” Rijiju said, effectively maintaining the status quo and sidestepping the ruling NC’s calls for urgency in the matter.
His remarks come as the NC continues to push for a concrete roadmap, arguing that uncertainty over statehood is undermining democratic governance. However, Rijiju’s response has apparently deepened the ruling party’s frustration, leaving it with no clear answers to offer its electorate.
Rijiju, who holds the Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs portfolios, maintained that his visit was focused on the Union Budget rather than political matters. He refrained from discussing the division of powers between the lieutenant governor and the elected chief minister, reiterating that Jammu and Kashmir remain a Union Territory for now.
“The lieutenant governor is currently the administrative head of the UT, but we also have an elected government that was formed recently,” he added, while offering no new details on the much-anticipated return to full statehood.
(With additional inputs from news agency KNT)
