Overview
- Saying speculation is misleading, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha told a Srinagar audience that the elected administration cannot cite the absence of statehood to justify underperformance.
- Sinha maintained that, aside from law and order and cadre transfer powers, the Union Territory government holds sufficient authority and should use it for public welfare.
- He noted the recent assembly polls were for a Union Territory legislature and argued governance should proceed without waiting for a statehood decision.
- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah declined to respond to the L-G’s remarks until he reads the full statement, adding he would comment later if the reports reflect the exact words.
- Article 370’s revocation in 2019 and the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling upholding it frame the dispute, with the court urging statehood be restored at the earliest and elections held by September 2024, after which polls took place and a new government took office.