Committed to hold assembly polls: LG Sinha
Jammu, Feb 27: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Tuesday, reiterating the commitment for the conduct of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, asserted that the government was fully prepared to hold elections as and when the Election Commission of India (ECI) would take a call on this account.
“In any case, the elections would be conducted before the September deadline fixed by the Supreme Court. When are to be conducted- this call has to be taken by the Election Commission of India,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor stated it during an interaction while attending a special session on Jammu and Kashmir at Global Summit organized by TV9 Network at New Delhi today.
Referring to the statement of the Union Home Minister, he stated that there should be no confusion with regard to the conduct of assembly elections in J&K.
“Union Home Minister in the Parliament had committed that firstly there would be delimitation to be followed by election and then statehood at an appropriate time. Same affidavit was submitted in the Supreme Court by the Government of India. Delimitation process has been completed followed by revision of voter lists. New voters have been added. Now Lok Sabha polls will be held in J&K along with the entire country. The Full Election Commission is visiting J&K on March 12 to take stock of the poll arrangements. We are fully ready for polls,” he said.
TALKS, TERROR CANNOT GO TOGETHER
He asserted that as per the policy of the Government of India, no talks would be held with Pakistan till it continued its policy of sponsoring terrorism in J&K.
“This is the policy of the Government of India that we will hold talks with the youth of J&K, our own people but not with Pakistan, till it mends its behaviour,” he said, in response to a related question.
CHANGES IN J&K DURING FOUR YEARS
When asked about the changes in J&K during the past four years, he stated that the empowerment of deprived sections was the biggest change. “It may sound ironic, yet it was true that in J&K, even the President of India could not buy a piece of land. A soldier, from any other part of India, would lay down his life for safeguarding the frontiers of Jammu and Kashmir but could not construct a house there. This has changed now. During these four years, we have made all out efforts to empower the fifty percent population of J&K, which was deprived of its constitutional, legal rights and they included women, West Pakistan refugees, Kashmiri migrants etc. We have made them empowered,” LG Sinha said.
