Photographs showing Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah standing on the margins during Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to the Union Territory have sparked a fresh political controversy, with rivals accusing the National Conference (NC) government of ceding space to the Centre without securing gains for J&K.
In several images from the visit, Abdullah is seen in the background, even behind security personnel, while BJP Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha appear prominently beside the Union minister.
The presence of L-G Manoj Sinha at a BJP meeting chaired by Shah, attended only by BJP MPs, MLAs and functionaries, also invited criticism.
Opposition leaders were quick to seize on the optics.
PDP leaders called it partisan, while NC spokesperson Imran Nabi asked, “Why is the J&K L-G cozying up in a meeting chaired by Shah, surrounded only by BJP MLAs, MPs, and BJP functionaries? If this is not partisanship, then what is?”
PDP leader Waheed Para, cited by the Indian Express, said Abdullah’s sidelining was “an insult to the institution, to the mandate and not just one person.” He added, “It is an outcome of the posturing of the CM. He has been submissive from the first day of his government, and this is the result.”
AAP legislator from Doda Mehraj Malik accused Abdullah of lacking “self-respect” and recalled AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s earlier warning to the NC leader to “never trust the BJP.”
Former Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattu mocked the visuals, asking on X, “Want to test your eyesight. Can you spot our chief minister in less than 15 seconds?”
Also taking to the microblogging site X, PDP leader Iltija Mufti, “Deeply unfortunate that the protocol extended to the Chief Minister was conspicuously missing in Jammu yesterday. Politics aside, he’s an elected CM who represents all of us. A little more grace and magnanimity wouldn’t hurt.”
In the meantime, as the images circulated widely, the NC rejected the narrative, terming it “propaganda” by Opposition parties, particularly the PDP.
A party leader maintained that the controversy was misplaced, saying, “The picture captures a particular moment. The CM was in a meeting with the Home Minister and he was accorded proper protocol," as cited by the Indian Express.
However, it should be noted that the row comes amid growing frustration within the NC over what it sees as the Centre’s reluctance to accommodate Abdullah’s government on crucial issues such as official appointments and the restoration of statehood.
Despite avoiding confrontation with New Delhi, the party has little to show for its cooperative stance, opening it up to attacks from rivals.
In his Independence Day speech last month, Abdullah had admitted he was “losing hope,” calling J&K’s dual governance structure “not for success but for failure.”
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