Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah here and discussed various key issues, including an early restoration of statehood and involving the elected government in the fight against terrorism.
Meeting Shah for the second time after taking over as the chief minister of the Union territory on October 16, Abdullah said the talks took place in a "cordial manner". "We hope to always work in a better environment so that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are benefited from this," he added.
After the meeting that lasted 30 minutes, the chief minister told reporters that he briefed the Union home minister about the situation in the Union territory and the experience of his government in the last two months.
"Yes, I raised the issue of early restoration of statehood with the home minister," Abdullah said, adding that "we hope that Jammu and Kashmir gets its statehood restored soon".
On whether the talks included the militancy situation in the Union territory, he said security and law and order are the responsibility of the lieutenant governor.
"I have always said and I told the home minister that 'you cannot fight militancy and terrorism in a vacuum, you will have to take the public of Jammu and Kashmir in confidence....they will also have to be brought into this battle, and for that, you will have to take into confidence their elected representatives and their elected government'," Abdullah said.
The chief minister said the talks did not include the framing of business rules for the division of powers between the elected government and the lieutenant governor's office and made it clear that the Centre had no role in it.
"Business rules have nothing to do with the government of India. We have to decide it and the Cabinet has to approve it. The Cabinet sub-committee will finalise it and then, we will send it to the LG for approval," he said.
Abdullah will be attending the Goods and Services Tax meeting in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer on December 20. To a question about the proposed hike of 28 per cent on handloom products, he said, "I have not seen such a proposal. If it comes, we will contest it. Not only us, other states will be affected too."
Immediately after Abdullah's meeting ended and he left, Shah began his second meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and other senior officers to review the law-and-order situation in the Union territory.
Earlier, Abdullah met with Shah on October 23 during his first visit to the national capital after assuming office on October 16.