Hope Parliament will run smoothly after Amit Shah's statement: Omar

Cabinet expansion will happen ‘sometime’

11/08/2026

SRINAGAR, Aug 10: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed the hope that the logjam in Parliament will end with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement and the House will run smoothly.
"If the Union Home Minister answers questions in the House (questions) about what happened at Jantar Mantar, or what happened while dealing with that protest there, and because of that, Parliament's work resumes, it's a good thing. People want Parliament to run. A lot of money is spent running the Parliament," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
The chief minister said that if the logjam continues even after the Home Minister answers the House, people will not find it right. "So, I hope the remaining days of Parliament will run smoothly," he said.
After unrelenting Opposition protest since the start of the Monsoon session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Monday that the government is ready for a full-fledged discussion in Lok Sabha on the student agitations and police action "across the country". He said the Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reply to the debate, provided the Opposition promises not to disrupt and listens peacefully.
Abdullah said the Home Minister addressing the concerns or issues raised by the Opposition in Parliament is a good development.
"That's what the Parliament or any assembly is meant for. The opposition's job is to raise issues, and the government's job is to respond to those issues," he added.
Responding to a question on violence during protests in Jharkhand over alleged recruitment examination irregularities, Abdullah said he does not have time to constantly follow developments in other states.
"As I told you, I don't have so much free time that I can look at the condition of other states. What is happening in Jharkhand, let the Jharkhand government know. What else can I say besides this? I will only say that we want any protest to be peaceful, and we don't want situations to deteriorate anywhere," he said.
On speculation about expanding his council of ministers, Abdullah said, "It (expansion) will happen. Why wouldn't it?
"You ask this question to the Prime Minister Sahib in Delhi? There, for how many months, reshuffle, reshuffle, reshuffle is being talked about, but no one asks there. Here, you are so worried. It will happen, don't worry."
Asked about the attack on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's car, Abdullah said he cannot comment on everything happening in the country.
"Everything is fine here (Jammu and Kashmir)," he said.
Omar also said the expansion of his Council of Ministers will happen "sometime", while ruling out any possibility of the exercise before August 15.
"It is work in progress," Omar said while responding to questions from reporters about the proposed Cabinet expansion.He added that it would not take place before August 15.
The Chief Minister said it would be unfair to the ministers whose names have been assigned to deliver speeches on Independence Day.
"They are preparing their speeches. Let them give their speeches," the Chief Minister said.Omar expressed surprise at being repeatedly questioned about the Cabinet reshuffle.
"Do you ever ask this question to the Prime Minister Sahib in Delhi? There, for how many months, reshuffle, reshuffle, reshuffle is being talked about, but no one asks there. Here, you are so worried. It will happen sometime, don't worry."
The Chief Minister also welcomed the prospect of the deadlock in Parliament ending, saying the government should respond to the issues raised by the Opposition, including those related to the student protests and police action.
"If the union Home Minister is going to address the concerns or the issues raised by the Opposition in Parliament, then that's good. That's what Parliament or any Assembly is meant for. The Opposition's job is to raise issues. The government's job is to respond to those issues," Omar said.
He said it would be a positive development if the union Home Minister responds to questions related to the protests at Jantar Mantar and the manner in which the situation was handled.
"If the Honourable Home Minister is answering the questions and Parliament starts working again, then that's good. People want Parliament to run," he said.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the substantial expenditure involved in running Parliament, noting that people were unhappy when proceedings were disrupted without substantive work being conducted.
"It takes a lot of money to run Parliament. But if there is no work there, then people don't like it," Omar said.
Expressing hope that the remaining days of the parliamentary session would pass smoothly, he added, "I hope that the rest of the days in Parliament will go well."

Photo Gallery

BSE Sensex

NSE Nifty