Katra, June 6 -- According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday raised the issue of restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the inauguration of the first train to the Valley by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Katra.

Referring to the 2014 inauguration of the Katra railway station, Omar said, "There are four people on this stage today who were present then - you (PM Modi) had just won the elections, Manoj Sinha sahib was MoS Railways, Jeetendra Singh was in the PMO, and I was the Chief Minister of a state."

According to KNS, he remarked, "By the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi, Sinha sahib got a promotion and I got a demotion. But I believe this will soon be rectified, and Jammu and Kashmir wil...