Omar Abdullah Claims Centre Trying To Undermine Upcoming J&K Government's Power, MHA Fact Checks Him

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) dismissed National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's allegations regarding Centre trying to alter the power of the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir government. The Amit Shah-led ministry labelled these claims as "misleading and speculative.""Omar Abdullah's tweet is misleading and speculative. There is not even an iota of truth, as no such proposal exists. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019, passed by the Parliament of India, provides for notifying the transaction of business rules, and these were duly notified in 2020. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have wholeheartedly supported the Government of India's efforts to establish a democratically elected government through a historic, free, and fair election process, which saw enthusiastic participation," the Ministry posted on X.Earlier, Abdullah claimed that the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir has been assigned the task of altering the transaction of business rules to reduce the powers of the elected Chief Minister and transfer them to the Lieutenant Governor. Abdullah asked bureaucrats in Jammu and Kashmir to resist any pressure to "further disempower" the incoming elected government."The BJP has clearly accepted defeat in J&K. Why else would the Chief Secretary be tasked with changing the transaction of business rules to curtail the powers of the Chief Minister/elected government and transfer them to the Lieutenant Governor? This information has come to me from within the Secretariat. Officers would be well advised to resist any pressure to further disempower the incoming elected government," Abdullah posted on X. The allegations comes at a time when Jammu and Kashmir is bracing for a new government for the first time in a decade. Assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since 2014. The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and Congress, partners in the INDIA alliance, jointly contested the assembly elections, while the PDP and BJP ran independently.The poll panel reported a voter turnout of 69.69 percent in the third phase held on October 1. Phase 1 and Phase 2 saw polling percentages of 61.38 percent and 57.31 percent, respectively. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.