Have Powers Of J&K Lt Governor Increased? Manoj Sinha's Take

Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, has questioned the controversy over the alleged increase in the powers of Lieutenant Governor of the union Territory, asking if such a bill has been presented in parliament. Speaking about the Opposition comments on the issue, he told NDTV in an exclusive interview: "Some things are done to create controversies. if the powers of a Governor or Lieutenant Governor has to be increased, it has to be approved by parliament. Did such a bill ever come in parliament?"

Pointing out that the State Reorganisation Act was challenged in the Supreme Court along with the scrapping of the Article 370, he said it now has the approval of the court.

In July, the Union home ministry had amended the transaction rules in the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019. The law was originally passed as the Article 370 granting J&K special powers was scrapped and the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories.

Under the new law, the Lieutenant Governor was granted powers on key administrative and legal matters, from police and public order to postings and prosecution sanction. This drew a sharp reaction from the Opposition, which said the step will render the Chief Minister "powerless" and "disempower" the region's people.

"No one has to get involved in the question of rights," Mr Sinha told NDTV. "The assembly elections will be held soon. What will be the goals of the new government, whichever party is it? If it is peace, prosperity, development transparency, employment generation, I want to assure political parties through your channel -- if these are the goals, they will have the full support of the Lieutenant Governor and his office. Where is the question of clash then?"

Asked if the coming election will be the stepping stone for the return of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Sinha said things are "working according to the blueprint given by Union home Minister Amit Shah".

Mr Shah, he recalled, had said, "delimitation first, assembly election second and statehood at an appropriate time, third".

The Lieutenant Governor also said he was hopeful that the voting percentage in the assembly election will be more than Jammu and Kashmir witnessed during the parliamentary election. Back then, the Jammu region had seen an average of 58.4 per cent turnout, the Kashmir Valley --- 50.6 per cent, more than it had seen in more than the last three decades.

This, he said, only proves that the roots of democracy is "very strong" in Jammu and Kashmir. "People trust democracy and democratic values. It is natural in view of the peace and prosperity of the last five years," he added.

Asked about the participation of Jamaat-e-Islami - the Islamic outfit which, along with Hurriyat, gave the election boycott calls in the Valley -- in this election, Mr Sinha said he was not sure if anyone can be stopped from contesting elections in this country. "We need to understand that the country runs with the help of laws and constitution," he said.

"If we want to stop elements like this, we should debate the matter in parliament, take various opinions and the Election Commission can make a rule," he added.