Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah Rejects PDP's Controversial Land Rights Bill Amid Political Tensions

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday accused the opposition PDP of introducing the land rights bill in the Assembly purely for political purposes, stating that the proposed legislation lacks adequate protections for Union Territory residents.

The BJP applauded the Chief Minister for blocking what they described as a "land jihad bill."

PDP MLA Waheed Para introduced the bill, which aimed to grant ownership rights to J&K residents who have lived on state land for more than 20 years.

Omar Abdullah, who also serves as Revenue Minister, opposed the bill, characterizing it as an effort to benefit land mafia.

"This bill was designed to help land mafia and those who have illegally occupied land," the Chief Minister stated.

He pointed out that the proposed legislation contained no provisions to verify whether beneficiaries were genuine J&K residents.

"How can we approve a bill that benefits land mafia and illegal encroachers? There's no way to determine if these people are actual J&K citizens or recent arrivals who have built houses, yet we would be required to give them land," he explained.

The PDP countered that the proposed bill was an "anti-bulldozer bill" intended to protect J&K residents who are currently receiving eviction notices.

Para criticized the Chief Minister for establishing a dangerous narrative that endorses demolitions.

"Labeling state subjects living on state land as 'land grabbers' creates a dangerous narrative that supports demolitions. The J&K Regularisation and Recognition of Property Rights Bill 2025 was intended to protect people, not vilify them. @CM_JnK could have defended his position with better judgment and vocabulary," the PDP leader said.

BJP's Sunil Sharma, Opposition Leader in the J&K Assembly, claimed that granting ownership rights to illegal encroachers was designed to alter demographics and praised the Chief Minister for "defeating the nefarious designs" of the PDP.

"Waheed Parra's bill aimed to help those who have encroached on land as part of land jihad and demographic change efforts. I thank Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. I am deeply grateful to him for showing PDP the truth. He stopped their nefarious plans by rejecting their bill," Sharma said.

When the PDP leader refused to withdraw the bill, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather put it to a vote, but it received support from only three members.

The bill was defeated by voice vote.

National Conference spokesman Tanvir Sadiq claimed the bill would have only benefited illegal occupants seeking land ownership regardless of their domicile.

He mentioned that a separate bill addressing land ownership for legitimate J&K occupants would be presented in the next budget session.

The National Conference spokesman added that the PDP and BJP are complementing each other.

"One party misleads people by proposing a bill designed to help illegal encroachers while the other calls it land jihad," he said.