SRINAGAR, Apr 4: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday rebuffed the allegations of encroaching into the elected government’s domain, saying he has acted responsibly and acted entirely within the domain defined by the Reorganization Act.
“I want to make it clear — the Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act in 2019, and I am saying with responsibility that I have acted entirely within the domain defined by that Act,” a video available on social media showed Sinha defending his decision.
The remarks come amid an escalating faceoff between the Omar Abdullah-led government and the LG over the recent transfer of 48 officers from the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS).
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote to the Union Home Minister, alleging that the transfer order issued by the LG was “without legal backing” and in violation of the Reorganisation Act.
In response, Sinha reiterated that he has not crossed any constitutional limits.
”I have never overstepped my constitutional boundaries. I am fully aware of my jurisdiction and responsibilities. I have never violated them, nor will I ever do so,” he said
Lieutenant Governor broke his silence after the legislative party meeting of the ruling National Conference and its alliance partners passed two resolutions, one of which sought to respect the mandate of the people – a veiled reference to the growing disquiet between the Raj Bhavan and the six-month-old government in the Union Territory.
The National Conference said it wants to run the government with “love and respect” and its silence should not be construed as its “weakness”, and requested the BJP-led central government to “not push them to the wall”.
The unscheduled meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and also attended by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, began at Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary’s residence at the Gupkar here.
Cabinet ministers, all MLAs of the NC, and four Congress legislators led by chief whip Nizamuddin Bhat and independents supporting the National Conference government attended the meeting.
Earlier, after the “emergency meeting” of the alliance partners called by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah ended, NC’s Chief Spokesperson and MLA Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq, accompanied by Congress leader and MLA Bandipora Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, addressed the media.
Today’s meeting focused on key issues, including the Waqf Bill passed in Parliament. This Bill is against Muslims and minorities in the country, and we oppose it. Another critical issue was the mandate given by the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the NC-led government. We have once again demanded that the Government of India respect this mandate—it is non-negotiable. These two resolutions were unanimously passed today,” Tanvir told reporters.
“Centre should not misconstrue our cooperation as weakness. We are making this appeal for the last time—not as a request but as a firm warning: Do not push us to the wall, ” he added.