Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has launched a sharp attack on BJP leaders over their demand to grant Jammu separate statehood, calling it an assault on the unity of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the BJP had already “damaged the situation” in Ladakh by carving it out as a separate Union Territory, and was now attempting to repeat the same mistake in Jammu.

Speaking to the media in Jammu on Tuesday, Abdullah said the people of Ladakh are still paying the price for the decisions taken in 2019.
“By turning Ladakh into a Union Territory without an assembly, the BJP snatched away the voice of its people. For more than four years now, people have been protesting on the streets. If the same model is now being prepared for Jammu, it is extremely unfortunate,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s remarks came in response to a statement by BJP MLA Shyam Lal Sharma, who raised the demand for separate statehood for Jammu, citing alleged discrimination. Abdullah questioned why such a demand was not raised in 2019, when the BJP was in power at the Centre and the entire reorganisation of the region was carried out.

He further said that politics of division would bring no benefit to the people of Jammu. “The BJP’s policies failed in Ladakh and failed in Jammu and Kashmir as well. Now they want to create new issues to hide their failures,” Abdullah said.

Leaders of the National Conference have also opposed the demand for a separate Jammu state. The party said that people of the Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley regions have never demanded a separate Jammu state and continue to stand with the idea of a united Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Abdullah reiterated that restoring full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir remains the top priority of his government. He said that in 2026, the government’s focus would be on the restoration of statehood, the budget session of the legislative assembly, and preparations for the tourism season.

The BJP has not issued any official response to the controversy so far, but the fresh exchange has once again intensified political debate over the post-2019 situation and the future of Jammu and Kashmir.