SRINAGAR: Opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir criticised Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s address in the legislative assembly, saying it failed to mention the abrogation of Article 370 or any prospect of its restoration.
Sinha delivered the address at the opening of the first Budget Session of the newly elected assembly in Jammu. The speech, as per legislative procedure, was scripted by the government before being presented in the House.
People’s Democratic Party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said the speech offered nothing new and was similar to the LG’s previous addresses on Independence Day and other occasions.
“We had hoped that the Lieutenant Governor’s address would reflect the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. But this LG address had no mention of addressing our disempowered and dispossessed,” she said at a press conference in Srinagar.
Mehbooba argued that while the Home Minister had promised in Parliament to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the concerns of the region’s people extended beyond that issue.
Sinha’s speech did acknowledge demands for statehood, stating that the government remained “steadfast in its commitment” to addressing the matter. “My Government recognizes the emotional and political significance of the Statehood for the people and is actively engaging with all stakeholders to facilitate this process in a manner that ensures peace, stability, and progress,” he said.
However, it was the omission of Article 370 and Article 35A that triggered strong reactions from opposition leaders, including Mehbooba and Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone.
Mehbooba accused the National Conference-led government of acting as an “extension of BJP’s agenda” in Jammu and Kashmir. “People gave a thumping majority to NC, but it has succumbed before the BJP and has now preferred silence over Article 370 abrogation,” she said.
Lone, who represents the Handwara constituency, said the LG’s address could have been a BJP speech, had the party been in power.
“There seems to be total ideological overlap. No mention, not even remotely, of Article 370, Article 35A. No mention of August 5, 2019. No mention of the Reorganisation Act,” Lone wrote on X, referring to the date when Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was revoked.
He also criticised the National Conference’s stance, saying its campaign had centred on Article 370 but had now shifted position after coming to power.
“I remember how during the election campaign it was all about Article 370 and how all others were BJP’s B-team. And now the ideological overlap,” he said.
Lone further dismissed the LG’s address as a vision statement, calling it “as visionless as it can get.” He said the government had offered no new political, social, or economic initiatives and predicted that bureaucrats would continue to run the administration.
“So be prepared for an aimless, visionless spell of governance, bereft of any newness in approach or creativity. Same beaten track. The bureaucrats ran the last administration. The bureaucrats will run this administration,” he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly, now functioning as a union territory assembly, began its first Budget Session on Monday with Sinha’s address. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the finance portfolio, is set to present the budget statement. Previously, Jammu and Kashmir’s budgets were tabled in Parliament by the Union Finance Minister during the period of President’s rule after August 2019.
