Srinagar/UNI: National Conference President and Member Parliament Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that the central government was playing a gimmick with the people here and the world on restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Abdullah claimed that the union government does not want to restore statehood.

“They don’t want to restore statehood. It is a gimmick to fool us and the whole world,” the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.

“We are calmly watching their day-to-day orders…what a slave society will do …we are sitting and watching proceedings," Abdullah said.

The National Conference (NC) president said if the government of India claims that the situation here in Jammu and Kashmir was normal and they completed the delimitation process, then what is the reason they are not holding elections here

“When elections can be held in other states of India, why not here," he said.

Abdullah said the central government has put a Lieutenant Governor here and he is looking at everything.

Regarding land encroachment and demolition drive, Farooq Abdullah said that the houses of poor people were demolished.

“Where was the government when they constructed houses and why did they allow them to be built," he questioned.