L-G office will extend full support to J&K govt that meets expectations of people: Manoj Sinha

A government that takes appropriate steps to meet the expectations of the people would have the full support of the L-G’s office, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said.

Sinha said the local bodies elections in the Union territory will be held as soon as the backward classes commission submits its report on OBC reservation, required security forces are made available and weather conditions allow it.

“The government that takes appropriate steps to meet the expectations of the people, I assure them, the LG’s office will be ready to give full support to it,” said Sinha. Any elected government that comes to power wishes to fulfil the people’s expectations, he said when asked about the working arrangement between the L-G’s office and the chief minister.

National Conference’s Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the first chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir after it became a Union territory.

On the Congress’s opposition and subsequent filing of a petition in court against the nomination of five MLAs to the J&K assembly, Sinha said India is a democracy and everyone has the freedom to register their protest against anything.

“The country knows that when the Puducherry Assembly was formed, honourable Lal Bahadur Shastri was the home minister. He introduced a proposal to fill all seats through nomination. Some parliamentarians opposed this at the time, and it was then decided that 10 per cent of the members would be nominated. In an Assembly of 30, three members would be nominated,” he said.

He further added that a court order has also been issued on the matter. “This is a part of the state Reorganisation Act. Those who object can approach the court, but I don’t believe there is anything unconstitutional here,” he said.

Certain provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, empower the L-G to nominate five MLAs to the J&K assembly. The NC, PDP, and Congress among others have opposed this provision.

Sinha said the panchayat elections should have been held earlier, but the administration is awaiting the report on reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

“If the elections had been held without this (report), the court would have stopped them. Therefore, we had to go to Parliament to amend this. Preparations (for polls) are certainly complete,” he said.

Sinha said as soon as the report of the backward classes commission is received, local bodies elections will be held.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has set up a commission to recommend the number of seats reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local bodies.

Local bodies elections soon

• J&K L-G Manoj Sinha said his office will be ready to give full support to the government that takes appropriate steps to meet the expectations of the people
• He said the local bodies elections in the UT will be held as soon as the backward classes commission submits its report on OBC reservation, required security forces are made available and weather conditions allow it
• On the Cong’s opposition to nomination of MLAs to the Assembly, Sinha said India is a democracy and everyone has the freedom to register their protest against anything