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Updated: Feb 25, 2019 14:39 IST

A day after the Jammu and Kashmir administration said its stance remained unchanged that only an elected government would be able to take a decision on Article 35A of the Constitution in the Supreme Court, which is hearing a bunch of petitions challenging its validity, former chief minister Omar Abdullah urged the Centre to hold elections in the state.

“The Centre and Governor have only one responsibility right now that is to hold elections. So, hold elections, let people take the decision, the new government will itself work towards safeguarding Article 35A,” ANI quoted Abdullah as saying.

The National Conference leader also took to Twitter to say that it “is the moment of truth for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of Kashmir over the last five years and asked whether Modi will acknowledge that “he has totally mishandled J&K.”

Will the Modi government bow before those forces of separatism & terror that have always sought to disrupt/delay polls in J&K or will polls take place on schedule? The moment of truth for PM Modi’s handling of Kashmir over the last 5 years. https://t.co/2fEDpjOoBp — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 25, 2019

Baring the odd by-election all elections after 1995-96 have taken place on schedule. Will PM Modi be able to keep to this schedule or will he accept he’s totally mishandled J&K? The next few days will give us the answer. — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 25, 2019

Earlier on Sunday, senior bureaucrat Rohit Kansal and chief spokesperson of the governor’s administration, said, “The stand of the state government on the request of deferment of hearing on Article 35A in the Supreme Court remains the same as requested by them on February 11.” He was replying to a question on whether there was a change in the stand of the governor’s administration on the contentious issue.

Also read: Government cracks down on separatists in Jammu and Kashmir, 150 held

The administration had also appealed to the people of the state to stay calm and not pay heed to rumours after tension mounted in Kashmir as the government launched a massive crackdown on separatists and detained over 150 people, mainly from the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu Kashmir, ahead of a hearing in the Supreme Court on Article 35 A.