LG office will extend full support to govt that meets expectations of people: Manoj Sinha

JAMMU: An government that takes appropriate steps to meet the expectations of the people would have the full support of the LG’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 the number of reserved seats for the OBCs, weather conditions allow it and required security forces are made available.

In a interview to PTI on Monday evening, Sinha said, “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.” Any elected government that comes into power wishes to fulfill the people’s expectations, he said when asked about the working arrangement between the LG’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 oppose anything.

“The country knows that when the Puducherry Assembly was formed, honorable 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 earlier.

“This is part of the State Reorganization 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, empowers the LG to nominate five MLAs to the J&K assembly. The NC, PDP, Congress among others have opposed this provision.

LG 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, and based on the availability of security forces and weather conditions, 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. (PTI)