On Omar Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony as J&K’s CM, INDIA bloc to put up at joint face

All top leaders of the INDIA bloc have been invited by the NC to attend the ceremony of the government formation, which is taking place after 10 years and for the first time since J&K’s special status was abrogated

The National Conference (NC) has reached out to top Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the party vice president Omar Abdullah as next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on October 16 in Srinagar.

“There are a lot of expectations from the new government. The Centre needs to restore Statehood soon and grant all the powers to the government to provide relief to the public,” NC president Dr. Abdullah said, a day ahead of his son’s swearing-in ceremony.

Omar Abdullah will take over as the next CM of J&K in a ceremony on Wednesday morning at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of the Dal lake. All top leaders of the INDIA bloc have been invited by the NC to attend the ceremony of the government formation, which is taking place after 10 years and for the first time since J&K’s special status was abrogated in 2019. 

Besides the Gandhis, NC ally Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will also attend the function. Those others invited to the ceremony included Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Lalu Prasad Yadav. 

Besides, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, NCP Member of Parliament Supriya Sule, Mr. Stalin’s sister Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, CPI leader D. Raja, and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat were also invited, party sources said. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and SP president Mr. Yadav have already arrived in Srinagar, they added..

“I congratulate the people of Kashmir. They have reposed their trust in democracy, elected their government and safeguarded the Constitution. The next step is to restore full Statehood of J&K. I have full faith in Mr. Omar Abdullah. He will fulfil his responsibilities as the next Chief Minister,” Mr. Yadav, who arrived in Srinagar on Tuesday, said.

J&K as a Union Territory has only 10 Ministerial posts. Around nine Ministers are likely to be sworn in in the UT cabinet. “It is a red letter day. A new government is coming after 6.5 years. May god give strength to Omar Abdullah to raise people’s voice,” NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar said.

Meanwhile, the Congress, which is part of the coalition in J&K, appointed Ghulam Ahmad Mir as the Congress Legislature Party leader. The NC had won 42 and the Congress just six seats in the Assembly elections. 

“This is to inform you that following the unanimous resolution of the members of the Legislative Assembly, Jammu and Kashmir, authorising the honourable Congress President to appoint a new CLP leader, the honourable Congress president has appointed Shri G.A. Mir as the new CLP leader of Jammu & Kashmir,” an order issued by Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said. It has paved the way for Mr. Mir’s likely entry into the Abdullah-led Cabinet on Wednesday.

Published - October 15, 2024 10:23 pm IST