Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir is not powerless.
“If you believe we were not counting days, it is you who are counting days. It is worthless for us. It serves no purpose when we talk of 100 days of working. You know it is a different era in place after a period of six years. It takes time to understand the domain and functioning of the government. Earlier I had served as chief minister of the state and there were special provisions people were enjoying, but today it is a union territory which is entirely different. But it is our endeavour to maintain good relations between people and the government and we have succeeded in it. We also tried to start fulfilling promises made in the election manifesto,” Omar said during a programme organised by a TV channel.
The CM admitted the hiccups in functioning of the government, as the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is being commanded and controlled from two power centres.
“We are transferring KAS officers, while IAS is being transferred from Raj Bhawan. This is due to the dual control system. The cabinet decisions are being sent to the Lieutenant Governor Office for approval. LG is taking care of Law & Order under the order of New Delhi. Earlier it was the cabinet who was deciding who will be DC, SP, IG, Div Com, Chief Secretary etc, and now we are not deciding their appointments. Their command and control is not in our hands; but we feel this system will not remain in place for long,” he hoped.
Omar said the elected government of J&K is not powerless. “The government is not powerless. Had we been powerless, you would have questioned LG, and not me. If today elected representatives are sitting in front of you, it means there lies something in our hands”.
He also said that during elections we didn’t hide anything from people. “We clarified each and everything that if we have to resolve 100 percent issues, that needs full-fledged statehood. But still I will say that there are issues which can be addressed and resolved despite being J&K as UT. We are hopeful the dual power will not remain in place for long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inaugural ceremony of Z-Morh Tunnel said that he will not retreat from his promises. We are chasing our targets and we will ensure our goals are achieved”.
When asked about resolutions passed by cabinet and Legislative Assembly, the CM said both resolutions exist. “I myself handed over the cabinet resolution to PM Narendra Modi as the assembly resolution is more worthy and meaningful for me as we sent it to New Delhi which didn’t reject it. It is a big success for us”.
When asked about the promise of restoration of Article 370 and 35(A), he said, “It will be like cheating people if we tell them that we will get back rights from those who took away the same from us. This will be a foolish commitment. At least we won’t cheat our people. If BJP would wait for years to abrogate the special status of J&K, why shouldn’t we wait for some time to get it back”.
“I don’t think there is a need to be satisfied with the work done in the previous 100 days. I believe there is a need to do more and more. I can say at least we have succeeded in restoring connection between the government and the people,” he said.
To a query about transfers of Anti-Corruption Bureau officers who were investigating alleged scam in Srinagar Smart City works, Omar expressed concern over the move, stating that such transfers undermine the principles of transparency and accountability.
“These transfers should not have taken place,” he remarked. However, he clarified that the ACB does not fall under his jurisdiction. “If this department were under my control, such transfers perhaps wouldn’t have occurred,” he added.