‘LG admin limited to transfers of police, civil services officers, all other administrative and financial powers rest with elected government’
Srinagar, Sep 25: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the Omar Abdullah-led government of failing to fulfill its election promises and shifting the blame to the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.
Senior BJP leader and former minister Sham Lal Sharma said that the National Conference (NC) government is misleading the people instead of delivering on its pledges.
Speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Sharma said the domain of the LG administration is limited to transfers of police and civil services officers, while all other administrative and financial powers rest with the elected government. “Tell me where the government is being stopped. They are not fulfilling the promises they made. The Reorganization Act came into force post 2019, and NC knew the LG’s domain when it contested elections. Why this drama now? Where is the government being stopped in allocation of funds or in administrative matters? The only restriction is on transfer of DCs and SSPs,” Sharma said.
He said the NC had promised major reforms within 90 to 100 days of taking office, but none of the commitments had been implemented even after a year. “The Chief Minister listed 12 points in the first press conference after the elections. Not a single one is visible on the ground. The government is transferring its responsibility instead of owning it. Daily life of the people has not improved, it has become worse,” Sharma said.
On the situation in Ladakh, Sharma said that people of Ladakh had long demanded Union Territory status and welcomed the 2019 reorganization. “Now, some political parties are twisting the issue for their own politics. Ladakhis never wanted to remain with Kashmir, they consistently demanded Union Territory,” he added.
Sharma also hit out at regional parties like NC and PDP, accusing them of doing issue-based politics without any long-term vision. He said leaders in Kashmir were trying to occupy the political space left vacant after the decline of separatist groups. “This destruction has happened because of politics for the sake of politics. Parties here have never pursued visionary politics, only short-term gains,” he told KNO.
On the issue of job reservations and regularization of daily wagers in Jammu and Kashmir, Sharma said the government had given commitments on the floor of the assembly but failed to deliver. “Committees were constituted, statements were made in the House, and assurances were recorded. Failure to implement these is a breach of privilege. The government is already cornered on these issues, losing credibility every day,” he said.
He added that the BJP will play the role of a constructive opposition in the upcoming assembly session. “We will hold the government accountable for its failures. The NC is trying to turn non-issues into issues to hide its inaction. The fact is, the LG is not stopping them from working. They are stopping themselves by not fulfilling their commitments,” Sharma said—(KNO)
