Centre will work closely with Omar for J&K’s progress: PM

Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended his best wishes to Omar Abdullah on his becoming the Chief Minister and assured that the Centre will work closely with him and his team for the progress of Jammu and Kashmir.PM Modi said on his official X-post handle, “Congratulations to Shri Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K's progress. @OmarAbdullah”.Earlier in the day, Omar Abdullah was administered the oath of office and secrecy by J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. Five MLAs, including Surinder Choudhary, Sakina Itoo, Javaid Ahmad Rana, Javaid Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma were sworn in as ministers.Omar Abdullah later announced that he was deputing Surinder Choudhary as the deputy chief minister to give proper representation to the Jammu division as he had promised before forming the government. Abdullah has taken over as the 14th chief minister of J&K having served the previously full six-year term from 2009 to 2015 as the chief minister of the erstwhile J&K state.Congress party said that it would support the government from outside. Squashing rumours about differences between the NC and the Congress over berth sharing in the council of ministers, G.A.Mir, leader of the J&K Congress legislature party told reporters, “We are very much part of the government”.He reiterated the party’s ‘principal stand on the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir’ saying that Congress will not take the oath of office until statehood is fully restored. He emphasised that this position is non-negotiable and reflects the party’s commitment to the rights of the people of J&K.“We did not contest this election for power, but for restoration of the people’s rights. The question of ministerial posts is irrelevant at this point. Our priority remains the restoration of statehood,” Mir said. He called on the Prime Minister to honour the mandate given by the people, which Mir believes clearly indicates a desire for the return of statehood.“The people have spoken and the Prime Minister should respect their will,” he added. Mir also clarified that despite not taking the oath immediately, Congress remains an integral part of the government. “We are fully aligned with our INDIA bloc allies and we are committed to working together to achieve our collective goal,” he said. agencies