DC Edit | J&K statehood can’t be delayed too long

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opening the Sonamarg tunnel along the Srinagar-Leh highway earlier this week was a major milestone in meeting the demands of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for better connectivity but Mr Modi’s equivocal response to the clamour for the restoration of statehood to the Union territory does not square with the claims he has made on his commitment to democratic principles. Stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood was an arbitrary act on the part of the Union government, which also abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution that linked India with Jammu and Kashmir. The Union government should not take such silence from the courts and the muted references made by Jammu and Kashmir’s chief minister Omar Abdullah towards the very genuine demand for the restoration of statehood for granted. It is not that the Union government is turning its back on the demand; the Prime Minister, in response to the gentle reminder by Mr Abdullah, did comment that the Union government “will do the right thing at the right time”.