Only those who elected us can dissolve us: J&K Deputy CM
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Saturday accused the BJP of seeking to undermine the elected government. "If anyone can dissolve us, it is only those who elected us," he told reporters in Jammu. BJP MLAs led by Sham Lal Sharma had on Friday demanded immediate dismissal of the Omar Abdullah-led government, with Sharma alleging it moved a resolution reviving autonomy and pre-1953 constitutional issues. Choudhary said interference in the government's functioning would assault democracy.
Source
Jammu and Kashmir — CM & govt · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary said only those who elected the government can dissolve it. — Directly quoted and attributed to Choudhary, speaking to reporters in Jammu on Saturday.
- BJP MLAs led by Sham Lal Sharma demanded immediate dismissal of the Omar Abdullah-led government on Friday. — Attributed in source to named BJP MLA; reported as a demand, not verified independently.
- Sharma alleged the NC government moved an assembly resolution reviving autonomy and pre-1953 constitutional issues. — Presented in source as Sharma's claim, explicitly flagged with 'he claimed'.
- Choudhary alleged shops were demolished and journalists critical of the government faced pressure. — Unverified allegation attributed to Choudhary; no supporting figures or independent sourcing in the text.
- The Chief Minister moved a resolution in the assembly demanding restoration of full statehood. — Stated as fact in the source without further sourcing or date detail.
Analysts’ view opinion
The real contest in Jammu and Kashmir is over the boundaries of power, and this war of words is only its surface. BJP MLAs demanding dismissal of the Omar Abdullah government right after it moved a full-statehood resolution, and the Deputy Chief Minister replying that only the voters can dissolve them, shows both sides picking the ground that suits them politically. For the National Conference, a "popular mandate versus central interference" frame is useful; for the BJP, the charge that the government is challenging the constitutional framework helps consolidate its base, particularly in the Jammu region.
- The dismissal demand arriving immediately after the statehood resolution suggests the flashpoint is jurisdiction and autonomy rather than day-to-day governance.
- By insisting the government was elected by the people and not the BJP, Choudhary converts the electoral mandate into a shield — a potent weapon for a government with limited powers in a Union territory.
- From the BJP's side, reviving autonomy and pre-1953 arrangement questions is read as a challenge to its post-2019 settlement, making pushback an ideological necessity.
- That these remarks were made in Jammu is notable: both parties appear to be speaking with Jammu-region voters in mind.
- With the confrontation playing out in press conferences and on social media rather than through floor debate, the session risks becoming a prestige battle rather than a legislative one.
What to watch — Watch how the statehood resolution is handled on the floor for the remainder of the session, and whether the Centre responds formally — that will determine how sharp this confrontation becomes.
The story does not establish that any move to dismiss the government is actually under consideration; it records a demand by BJP MLAs and the Deputy Chief Minister's allegations, none of which are independently verified here.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 3 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
Jammu and Kashmir, a Union territory with a legislative assembly, is governed by a National Conference-led government headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, with Surinder Choudhary as Deputy Chief Minister. During the ongoing autumn session of the J&K Assembly, the Chief Minister moved a resolution demanding restoration of full statehood. BJP MLAs, led by Sham Lal Sharma, responded by demanding the immediate dismissal of the government, alleging that the resolution sought to revive questions of autonomy and the pre-1953 constitutional arrangement. The exchange has turned into a wider dispute over the authority of an elected UT government versus the Centre's powers.
Key facts
- On September 26 (Saturday), J&K Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary accused the BJP of seeking to undermine the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Choudhary said: "If anyone can dissolve us, it is only those who elected us", questioning BJP MLAs' right to demand dismissal of the Omar Abdullah-led government.
- BJP MLAs led by Sham Lal Sharma demanded the immediate dismissal of the Abdullah-led government on Friday (September 25).
- Sharma alleged the National Conference government moved an assembly resolution seeking to revive issues of autonomy and the pre-1953 constitutional arrangement, overrunning its constitutional domain.
- The BJP demand came shortly after the Chief Minister moved a resolution in the assembly demanding restoration of full statehood.
- Choudhary said interference with the J&K government's functioning would amount to a "murder" of democracy and the Constitution and an "assault" on both.
- Choudhary called the BJP "anti-democracy, anti-constitutional and anti-public" and said opposing a people-elected government amounted to "treason".
- He challenged the BJP to state what work it had done in the first three days of the ongoing autumn session of the J&K Assembly in the public interest.
Timeline
- Ongoing (autumn session of J&K Assembly)Chief Minister Omar Abdullah moves a resolution in the assembly demanding restoration of full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.
- Friday (September 25)BJP MLAs led by Sham Lal Sharma demand immediate dismissal of the Abdullah-led government, alleging it sought to revive autonomy and pre-1953 constitutional issues.
- Saturday, September 26Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary, after reviewing work at the new assembly complex in Jammu, rejects the demand: "If anyone can dissolve us, it is only those who elected us."
Who has a stake
- Surinder Choudhary, J&K Deputy Chief Minister — Defending the elected government's mandate and authority; arguing that only voters, not the BJP, can dissolve the government.
- Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister (National Conference) — His government faces a dismissal demand; he moved the resolution seeking restoration of full statehood.
- BJP MLAs, led by Sham Lal Sharma — Seeking dismissal of the government, alleging it exceeded its constitutional domain by reviving autonomy and pre-1953 issues.
- J&K Legislative Assembly — Forum where the statehood resolution was moved and where the autumn session confrontation is playing out.
- People of Jammu and Kashmir — Choudhary says absence of statehood has weakened ordinary people's ability to get grievances addressed.
- Journalists, employees, farmers, students, shopkeepers — Choudhary alleges they are being prevented from speaking freely, with shops demolished and pressure on critical journalists.
Why it matters
The clash goes to the heart of how power is shared in a Union territory with a legislature: an elected government asserts that its mandate cannot be overturned by political demand, while the opposition argues the assembly has strayed beyond its constitutional domain. It also keeps the demand for restoration of full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir at the centre of political debate. How such disputes are settled shapes public confidence in democratic institutions in the region.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Jammu and Kashmir is a Union territory with a legislative assembly; Omar Abdullah (National Conference) is Chief Minister and Surinder Choudhary is Deputy Chief Minister.
- During the ongoing autumn session, the J&K Chief Minister moved a resolution demanding restoration of full statehood.
- BJP MLAs in J&K were led by Sham Lal Sharma in demanding dismissal of the elected government on September 25.
- BJP alleged the assembly resolution sought to revive autonomy and the pre-1953 constitutional arrangement in J&K.
- A new legislative assembly complex is under construction in Jammu; the Deputy CM reviewed its progress on September 26.
- Choudhary's central assertion: only the electorate that elected the government can dissolve it.
Mains framing
The confrontation in Jammu and Kashmir illustrates the structural tension created when a region is governed as a Union territory with an elected legislature: the elected government claims a popular mandate while the opposition contends that the assembly has strayed outside its constitutional domain by moving resolutions on statehood, autonomy and the pre-1953 arrangement. The immediate cause is the Chief Minister's statehood resolution during the autumn session and the BJP MLAs' consequent demand, led by Sham Lal Sharma, for the government's dismissal; the Deputy Chief Minister's reply, that only those who elected the government can dissolve it, frames the dispute as one about democratic legitimacy rather than mere partisan rivalry. The implications are significant: Choudhary argues that the absence of statehood has weakened ordinary people's ability to get grievances redressed and alleges pressure on journalists, shopkeepers, employees, farmers and students, while the opposition frames the same events as constitutional overreach. A way forward, as implied by the source itself, lies in using the floor of the house and the constitutional process for debate rather than confrontation outside it, and in resolving the statehood question through institutional channels so that governance disputes do not become contests over the survival of an elected government.
Key terms
- Union territory with legislature
- The status under which Jammu and Kashmir currently has an elected assembly and government, as reflected in the source's reference to the UT.
- Restoration of statehood
- The demand, moved as a resolution by the Chief Minister in the assembly, to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
- Pre-1953 constitutional arrangement
- The earlier constitutional position of J&K that the BJP alleges the government's resolution sought to revive; details not stated in the source.
- Autonomy
- Greater self-rule for J&K; BJP alleges the assembly resolution sought to revive issues related to it.
- National Conference
- The party leading the Jammu and Kashmir government under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
- Autumn session
- The ongoing session of the J&K Assembly during which the statehood resolution and the dismissal demand arose.
Practice questions
- Discuss the constitutional and political tensions that arise when a region is governed as a Union territory with an elected legislature, using the recent Jammu and Kashmir dispute as an illustration.
- "Only those who elected us can dissolve us." Examine this assertion in the light of the relationship between an elected government's mandate and constitutional processes for its removal.
- Critically evaluate how the demand for restoration of full statehood in Jammu and Kashmir is linked to grievance redressal and civil liberties, as argued by the state's Deputy Chief Minister.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.