If nothing else, give us statehood: CM on PM’s birthday

Amritsar, Sep 17: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be an appropriate announcement on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, reiterating that the Union Territory was verbally assured that statehood would be restored after the completion of delimitation and elections.
“It’s his (PM’s) birthday, so on behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to wish him a happy birthday. I hope he stays healthy and may God give him a long life,” the Chief Minister, said while responding to questions from reporters in Amritsar.
Asked what the Prime Minister could do to make his birthday memorable for Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister said, “If nothing else, give us the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. What else do we need?”
On the restoration of statehood, he said Jammu and Kashmir had been told that the process would follow three steps—delimitation, elections and restoration of statehood.
“We were told that statehood would be restored to Jammu and Kashmir after the elections, but nothing was put in writing. Assurances were given verbally, even in Parliament and the Supreme Court,” he said.
CM Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir accepted the delimitation process and subsequently participated in elections in which a significant number of people voted, but statehood had still not been restored.
“That is why I advised my friends and colleagues in Ladakh, and since they are currently in talks with the Central government, they should not rely on verbal assurances but get it in writing,” he said.
Omar also commented on the issue of UPI merchant discount rate (MDR) charges, saying the proposed charges would not directly be imposed on customers.
“It won’t apply to you or me; the businesses facilitating the transactions will have to bear it. Furthermore, the issued order explicitly states that this cost cannot be passed on to the customer,” he said.
The CM added that person-to-person UPI transfers would not attract any tax, while transactions below Rs 2,000, which constitute a major share of business transactions, would not carry merchant charges. “For amounts exceeding Rs 2,000, there is a set limit,” he said, adding that if larger factories and merchants were required to bear such charges, “I don’t think anyone should have an objection.” (KNO)