Article 370 cannot be reinstated until the Prime Minister is changed, Omar Abdullah says, a day after election win

Omar Abdullah on Wednesday spoke on the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference's stance on keeping the issue of Article 370, alive.

The JKNC Vice President refused to stay silent on Article 370's abrogation but said that the expectation of getting it reinstating under the same Central government that scrapped the former state's special status would be 'foolishness'.

"Our political stand won't change. We never said that we would be silent on the issue of Article 370 or that it is not an issue for us anymore. But we are not ready to fool people. I have always said that expectations of getting it back from people, who scrapped Article 370, is foolishness," said Abdullah.



Abdullah, who is expected to become the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said further that his party is against decieving people on the matter pertaining to Article 370.

In a sharp retort against the Narendra Modi-led Central government, Omar Abdullah claimed that talks on Article 370's reinstation are not possible unless the government at the Centre is changed, and the Prime Minister is changed.

"We hope that one day the government would change, the Prime Minister would change and there would be a government with whom we would be able to talk on this issue and gain something for J&K," Abdullah was quoted as saying.

The fight for bringing back statehood to Jammu and Kashmir has been one of the key poll points for parties that were competing for power in the Union Territory.

While Congress' Rahul Gandhi on various occasions said that the fight to bring back the special status given to the UT is still raging, Omar and his father and NC Chief, Farooq Abdullah are of a different opinion.

The Abdullahs have maintained that while they are against the abrogation of Article 370, their core focus remains on the development of the region in broader terms.

On August 5, 2019, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories (Ladakh, J&K) after the abrogation of Article 370 by the Central government.