Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary has strongly rejected Peoples Conference leader Sajad Gani Lone’s suggestion of an “amicable divorce” between the Jammu and Kashmir regions, calling the remark “childish talk”.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Choudhary’s response came after Lone’s statement on January 14, 2026, which sparked fresh regional tensions. Lone accused certain sections in Jammu of showing what he described as an “obsessive opposition” to development projects in Kashmir. He specifically referred to demands seeking the relocation of the proposed National Law University from Budgam in the Kashmir division to Jammu.
Lone urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to fulfil his electoral promise by keeping the law university in Budgam. He described resistance from Jammu as “lunacy” and claimed the region had become, in his words, “the proverbial stick to beat the Kashmiri with”.
The Handwara MLA, who is also the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference, went a step further by questioning the existing administrative arrangement between the two divisions. He said that sentiment in Kashmir in favour of separation had grown stronger and remarked that “maybe the time has come for an amicable divorce”.
Reacting sharply, the Deputy Chief Minister said such remarks were immature and irresponsible, and reiterated that the government firmly opposes any idea of dividing the Union Territory along regional lines.
The exchange has once again highlighted long-standing debates over fair distribution of resources, placement of institutions, and perceived regional imbalances between Jammu and Kashmir. These issues have resurfaced in the post-Article 370 political landscape, alongside renewed calls from some quarters for separate statehood for Jammu.
So far, there has been no official response from the Chief Minister or other senior National Conference leaders on the Deputy CM’s remarks, but the episode reflects deepening political fault lines within Jammu and Kashmir.
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