JAMMU: Acknowledging growing discontent among INDIA bloc partners with the Congress, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asked the party to justify its leadership role in the alliance instead of taking it for granted.

Abdullah, while recognising the Congress' significant position as a pan-India party and the largest opposition in Parliament, emphasised that leadership "has to be earned" and cannot be taken for granted. He also suggested that the party should raise the issue of restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir.

"By virtue of being the single largest party in Parliament, and also having the leader of opposition in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the fact that they have a pan-India footprint, which no other party can lay claim to, they are natural sort of leaders of an opposition movement," Abdullah said here in his first interview after becoming the chief minister in October.

Yet there is a sense of disquiet among some of the allies because they feel the Congress is not doing enough to justify it or to earn it or to keep it. That's something the Congress might wish to consider."

Still, Abdullah praised former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, describing her as a leader of unparalleled stature within the opposition alliance. "When the INDIA bloc comes together, she plays an important leadership role," he added.

Abdullah chose not to give a direct answer to a question about statements made by leaders like Sharad Pawar or Lalu Yadav favouring West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a better leader but highlighted the INDIA bloc's lack of consistent engagement, warning that the coalition risks becoming a mere election-time convenience.

Abdullah stressed the need for sustained interactions beyond the electoral cycle, noting that the alliance's current approach appears sporadic and ineffective.