SRINAGAR: Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma on Saturday questioned the Omar Abdullah-led government over its handling of basic public issues, alleging that people were repeatedly being told that the administration lacked powers because Jammu and Kashmir had not regained statehood.
Speaking at a public interaction programme in Srinagar, Sharma said residents were raising concerns related to water supply, electricity, roads, schools, hospitals and employment, but were being given the same response.
“For every issue, whether small or big, the only answer that comes from the government and government machinery is that we have no powers,” he said.
Sharma said the elected government had completed two years but, according to him, people continued to face frustration and uncertainty.
He questioned the rationale for having an elected government and Assembly if statehood was being cited as a reason for not addressing routine administrative matters.
“If at the end of two years we say that we need statehood even to install poles, wires and pipes, and we need statehood even to provide staff, then why are we in government? Why are we in the Assembly?” he asked.
Sharma also questioned whether the government should continue for its full five-year term if it believed it could not function effectively without statehood. He said the same explanation could otherwise continue to be offered after five years.
The Opposition leader said unemployment, particularly among young people, would be a major issue for his party during the upcoming Assembly session. Referring to figures discussed during the interaction, he said people aged between 19 and 29 constituted more than 32 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir’s population.
Sharma said the Opposition had a responsibility to take up issues raised by the public and would raise them in the Assembly, while also pursuing matters requiring intervention from the Centre.
He criticised the government’s recruitment and outsourcing policies, claiming that 25,000 jobs had been filled through outsourcing and asserting that these posts would not be advertised again.
Sharma said outsourced workers could subsequently seek regularisation, pointing to demands for regularisation already being raised by employees working under various government schemes and departments.
He also accused the government of seeking to perform the Opposition’s role while remaining in power.
“The government also wants to remain in the Opposition, but wants to enjoy all the power,” he said.
On the forthcoming Assembly session, Sharma said several issues needed discussion but questioned the limited number of sitting days. He argued that Jammu and Kashmir faced a distinct set of issues requiring adequate time for deliberation.
He defended the Opposition’s public outreach programme, saying it was aimed at hearing people’s concerns and taking them to the appropriate forums.
On statehood, Sharma said the issue should not be used as a blanket explanation for administrative shortcomings. He said statehood remained an issue but argued that its absence did not prevent the government from addressing most day-to-day public grievances.
His remarks came ahead of the upcoming Assembly session, where the Opposition is expected to raise issues including unemployment, recruitment, public services and other grievances concerning day-to-day governance.
