Return whatever was taken away from J&K, says Omar Abdullah

What happened: Omar Abdullah’s Independence Day speech in Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah delivered an Independence Day speech in Srinagar and called for returning whatever was taken away from Jammu and Kashmir. Omar Abdullah’s speech argued for restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s pre-2019 status, while not explicitly naming Article 370 in the reported account.

Omar Abdullah presented federalism as the strength of India and linked federalism to limits on central interference in state-domain matters. Omar Abdullah also argued that federalism suffers when central agencies interfere in matters that belong to state governance or when central actions erode state powers.

Omar Abdullah commented on admissions for education. Omar Abdullah suggested that national examinations such as NEET, NET, and JEE are suited for national institutions such as IITs, IIMs, and NIFT, while state educational institutions should be allowed to conduct their own examinations and admissions.

The speech also referred to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Omar Abdullah described reported deaths of protesters in firing by security forces as a matter of sadness and indicated that if 2019 had not happened, people there might have been agitating to join the rest of India.

Omar Abdullah paid tribute to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, founder of the National Conference, and remembered other National Conference leaders who opposed the 1947 tribal invasion.