Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Sunday he would cut short his visit to New Delhi and return to Jammu, skipping a planned statehood protest in the national capital, as heavy rains and flash floods battered parts of the Jammu region.
Abdullah said he would leave Delhi on Sunday afternoon to personally monitor the situation after the India Meteorological Department warned of severe weather and reports emerged of widespread flooding, particularly in Rajouri district.
“In light of the weather warning put out by the meteorological department and the seriousness of the situation unfolding across parts of Jammu division, I will leave Delhi to fly to Jammu this afternoon to personally monitor the situation on the ground,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
The chief minister said he had been monitoring the situation since early Sunday and remained in touch with local legislators from the affected areas.
“While the situation continues to unfold, the first priority of the administration is to safeguard precious lives. The government will do everything possible to aid and assist affected people who have suffered property loss and damage due to the rains and flash floods,” he said.
Officials said Rajouri town was among the worst-hit areas after incessant overnight rainfall triggered flash floods, inundating low-lying localities and forcing hundreds of residents to move to safer places. Emergency response teams have been deployed as authorities assess the extent of the damage.
Abdullah’s return means he will not participate in the National Conference’s planned protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Monday demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
The protest, however, will go ahead as scheduled under the leadership of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, the chief minister said. The demonstration is expected to be attended by leaders from several opposition parties.
The chief minister’s decision drew a jibe from People’s Conference president Sajad Lone, who posted on X: “Papa will protest in Delhi. And Baba will behave and be a good boy in Jammu.”
National Conference spokesperson Tahir Sayeed hit back at Lone, accusing him of politicising a humanitarian crisis.
In a post on X, Sayeed said heavy rains had “wreaked havoc” in Rajouri and Poonch, claiming lives and causing extensive damage, and that Abdullah was discharging his responsibilities as the head of the government. “How insensitive can you be?” Sayeed wrote, adding that while the chief minister was responding to the emergency, Lone appeared interested only in politics.
The National Conference has invited leaders of opposition parties to join the protest, which comes as the party presses the federal government to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, revoked in 2019.
