'I was CM of a state, now a UT': Omar Abdullah reflects on political changes as Modi flags off Katra-Srinagar train

June 6, 2025 by News Desk

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the final stretch of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link and flagged off the first Vande Bharat train from Katra to Srinagar, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah used the occasion to deliver a carefully measured but unmistakably political message.

Standing alongside Modi and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Omar acknowledged the historic significance of the railway project, saying, “Even the British dreamt of a railway to Kashmir, but it is Prime Minister Modi who has made that dream a reality.” Yet, beneath the praise lay a pointed reminder of Kashmir’s altered political status and the unfulfilled promises to its people.

“Back in 2014, I stood here inaugurating the Katra station as Chief Minister of a state,” Omar reflected. “Today, a decade later, I return as Chief Minister of a Union Territory.” The statement underscored the profound changes since August 2019, when Jammu Kashmir’s statehood was revoked and reorganized into a Union Territory.

Omar did not shy away from drawing a direct comparison between himself and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, saying, “While Manoj Sinha ji rose from Minister of State for Railways to Lieutenant Governor, I was demoted.” But he struck a hopeful note, asserting, “I believe things will return to normal, and Jammu Kashmir will regain statehood under Prime Minister Modi.”

His words carried the weight of a quiet demand — a reminder that political aspirations and promises made to Kashmir remain unfinished. Omar’s tone was one of both nostalgia and quiet insistence, a call to honor the region’s rightful place and restore its dignity.

“This railway line is more than just infrastructure,” he added. “It is a symbol of what Jammu Kashmir was, what it has become, and what it can be again.”