Express Exclusive | On J-K Budget Session eve, L-G Manoj Sinha says: No file stuck, no interference

Sinha, who took oath as the L-G of J&K in August 2020, exactly a year after the abrogation of Article 370, said the J&K Reorganisation Act clearly defined the roles of the elected government and the L-G administration.

“I deal with law and order, while they have governance. Mujhe sarkar ke saath kaam karne mein koi asuvidha ya pareshani nahi hai (I do not have any difficulty in working with the government… There is no clash,” he said.

Responding to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s observation in The Indian Express’s Idea Exchange platform that Union Territories with Assemblies are “flawed models” since they “tie the hands of the government by empowering the Lieutenant Governor”, L-G Sinha said he did not interfere in any line department.

“Also, this is not the only UT with an Assembly. Pondicherry is also a UT. This is not new, this model has existed for a while. I have no role in governance and I do not interfere with it in any manner. No one can point to a single thing that I may have stopped,” Sinha said.

Emphasising that no files are stuck in his office, the L-G said, files related to transfers of Central service officers or law and order are exclusive to him. “The rest is about policy matters or cabinet decisions, if something comes, nothing is held up here,” he said.

The L-G also categorically said that the Transaction of Business Rules are for the government to finalise and then get an approval from his office. “The J&K Reorganisation Act makes this clear. Centre ko kuch nahin banana hai (The Centre does not have to do anything). I haven’t received it till now. As a policy matter, it will be referred to me and I don’t have the discretion to do as I want. The Act is the guiding light on this — the decisions with the government are up to them and those with me, are up to me,” Sinha said.

On the statehood resolution passed by the J&K Cabinet, the L-G said the Cabinet authorises the Chief Minister to meet the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and anyone in the government. “It’s not stuck with me. Is mein hamien rokna kya hai (What’s there for me to stop in this). I have approved it,” he said. In its very first meeting in October last year, the J&K Cabinet had unanimously adopted a resolution seeking restoration of statehood to J&K.

Sinha said during a visit to Srinagar on Yoga Day that the Prime Minister reiterated the assurance of granting statehood to J&K. “He (Omar Abdullah) meets the Prime Minister and the Home Minister more than he meets me. If something has been said on the floor of the Parliament so it’s an assurance by the government and it will be fulfilled. I can’t talk about the timelines, but what I know is that this will happen,” he said.

The L-G said his administration has been taking regular security reviews in both Kashmir and Jammu. “A new thing we did is that officers of all verticals, SSP and above, were also called in for a review. MHA has also conducted its review. Local recruitment is at its lowest in over 30 years. No top commander of any militant outfit exists right now,” he said.

To a question about the Chief Minister’s comments seeking to include the people of J&K in achieving lasting peace, the Lieutenant Governor said, “This is their viewpoint. I believe that a sensitive SSP will also be aware of people’s circumstances and in the last four-and-a-half years, even I have a sense of this. If the government has any suggestions in this regard, they will be taken on board.”

Prior to Article 370 abrogation, the Chief Minister used to lead the unified command meetings that include the entire security apparatus of the region. Now, he is  excluded from security reviews of the UT.

L-G Sinha also said the Jamia Masjid shut down has happened in the past too when elected governments were in place. Responding to concerns about Mirwaiz Umar Farooq often being restricted from visiting Jamia Masjid, he said, “Mirwaiz has been given security and the police take precautions to keep him safe. He does go and lead prayers often. About the mosque, sometimes when police have any input, they close it.”